Last Chance
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: Sequel to Chances. This was supposed to be the proudest day of her life, a payoff of her training with Krillin and Gohan, another day to spend with him and the Z Fighters, and a chance to get to know the Son Goku. Instead, the world is ending, losses keep piling up, and there's a bubblegum pink alien that is the cause of it all. How is anyone supposed to comprehend this?
1. Drawing Lots

**A/N** : I'm eager to get this underway. But first, a note. This is a sequel to my chaptered Gohan/Videl story, _Chances_ , and will cover the events of the Buu Saga. It is not required, but recommended, to have read that to read this. The important things to note are that Videl found out about Gohan and the other Z Fighters through circumstance, and in the process the two eventually started dating, with the relationship going on a few months now. Videl has been training under Krillin, and is now a student of the Turtle School of Martial Arts. You don't have to read it to fully understand this, but I will appreciate it ^^.

For everyone that has read Chances and has been waiting for this – and not knowing if I ever will do it – thank you so much, and I am sorry for the wait. I wanted to get it up this summer but then life happened and now school is in the way.

Also, for everyone who has read Chances in the recent past, thank you. I'm always shocked and humbled to check my story stats and see that a steady stream of people is still finding this story.

Thank you, all of you, for helping me get inspiration to get this up. Every one of you is amazing, and I hope you enjoy reading this.

This is a one-shot series of the Buu Sage, and is not structured in the normal sense. _Last Chance_ follows the Buu Saga relatively well, and if a scene is not included then you can assume it went the same as the original. On the same token, some scenes are in here but mostly unchanged because I believe they are important to the characters, and I want to write them. The rest are tweaks and changes that follows _Chances_ and my personal headcanons. This highlight reel method doesn't change the Buu Saga drastically, rather focuses on points in the story that I find important.

This gives Last Chance a weird flow as it starts to jump all over the place after the first couple chapters. I hope it isn't too disorienting, and I believe I have constructed this one-shot/highlight reel series sequel in a way that makes sense. The POV also switches around as Buu follows several story and character points and no one character witnesses everything.

Edited to make word vomit not so much and it still comes out that way. My apologies *bows*

 **Disclaimer** : DBZ not mine! **Warnings** : After the ball gets rolling- character death. Lots and lots of character deaths.

* * *

Videl did not do nervous. No, the nerves that pinched at her sides with her tense muscles, was not from the cursed feeling. Excitement, she would say. Did, in fact, to Gohan, who just laughed good-naturedly- the asshole. She punched his arm in return. It was the day of the World Martial Arts Tournament, and she was free.

After the juniors' tournament ended, she followed Gohan and the others for food. She thought Trunks will come by to gloat. The young boy had, basking in his father's pride of him, before he disappeared again with Goten. She told herself that it was nothing; the feeling that they were planning something was paranoia mixed with her excitement. They likely were just finding their mothers and the rest of their group in the stands.

Videl had watched Saiyans eat in the past. She had prior to knowing their superhuman metabolisms. It was still unnerving seeing them eat. After they made their way to lunch, the three Saiyans in their group ate with reckless abandon. She was confident that Goku and Vegeta were making a competition out of it; one she assessed as true spotting Piccolo's unimpressed face.

Meanwhile, she poked at her food and ate at the rate of a normal person. Eighteen was beside her, as unimpressed as Piccolo. Krillin simply kept his head down and ate, with his face a cross of being intimidated and annoyed, debating if he should laugh or not.

This was her normal. If she had been asked a year ago what she would be doing before the main tournament, Videl would have replied that she'll be rolling her eyes and tolerating her father working up the paparazzi. She was happy to be here instead. Not that she did not want to see her father, it was that he was best as a solo crowd pleaser (he also was probably resting off the possible concussion Trunks gave him).

She started up a conversation with Piccolo as the Saiyans remained the only ones eating. Krillin and Eighteen were debating the outlook of the tournament, and her boyfriend was eying the jug of milk under his father's and Vegeta's eyes.

"So, you're not going to destroy the ring this time?" Her tone was teasing, but she threw a judgmental expression in there, like a parent was the one being the bad influence. Needless to say, she had decent skill in it. Piccolo scoffed in amusement.

"I see no reason to. If you're going to put the chances on anyone, it will be those two." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Goku and Vegeta.

Videl pressed her lips together. "What are the chances of them actually getting in a match together?" High, since the only one that could knock them out beforehand was Gohan.

"Hey, that's not fair." Goku was paying more attention than she gave him credit for as he turned toward them. "I haven't destroyed any rings before. It's usually people doing it _against_ me." Tien, Piccolo, Cell… Videl had seen the majority of those matches, one of them live. She believed it.

Krillin coughed and muttered to his best friend. "You monkey-ed out and destroyed part of the ring in our first tournament, Goku." Goku thought back, conceding the point with his silence. Vegeta was half in mind to punch Krillin for referring to his race's transformation as 'monkey-ed out' but refrained and put his effort elsewhere.

"The ring is pathetically small. I don't see how any proper fights can take place there."

Her master facepalmed, running a hand through his short hair. The former monk sighed. "Vegeta, no."

He shrugged and focused back on his food. Gohan devoured half of the jug's contents while the others were distracted and snatched away the roast, which Vegeta growled at him for. Goku laughed at his son's and rival's antics, all three Saiyans returning to their meal at a slower pace.

X_X

Videl chatted with Gohan happily, her hand in his and pretending not to notice how embarrassing it was for him. They've been together for a while; it wasn't that big of a deal. She would pull away if she believed it made him uncomfortable, but the dork had the largest smile on his face.

The group stopped short on their walk to the inner tournament grounds when another pair of fighters intercepted them. Neither appeared human, and Videl had a hard time reading what their energy was. She glanced at Gohan and saw that he was quizzical, with his brows scrunched together. As the shorter of the two approached Goku, Videl nudged Gohan in the ribs. "Was that guy floating?" She didn't expect anyone else besides them to be able to do so.

Gohan nodded in reply, examining the two closely. Videl was content that she was not the sole person who was confused. That she was the new one to this did not mean that the others still couldn't be caught off guard. Goku was staring at his hand strangely as the two departed, and Piccolo seemed paler than usual. Videl crossed her arms and faced her boyfriend. "Well, it should be interesting to see them fight." Gohan chuckled in agreement.

X_X

Videl studied the other competitors as they waited for the drawing to begin. She recognized most of them from past tournaments, although a couple were different. For one, she remembered Mighty Mask to be stockier, not the lanky klutz that muttered to himself. The hairs on the back of her neck tried to tell her something, yet she had no idea what it could be.

Krillin was unfazed by everyone except his friends. As they waited, she heard her master praying for anyone else to be his opponent. Piccolo corrected him that he should be asking Dende, not Kami, and Videl watched amused as Krillin continued his plea.

Far in the distance, on the Lookout, Dende sighed. He tapped his staff, planning to ignore the former monk, and instead focused on the rest of the of the tournament and the uneasy sensation going up his spine.

Videl waited next to Gohan as the drawing started. Facing her boyfriend, she cleared her throat, one hand on her hip. "I do want to fight you. I know I won't win but don't hold back too much!" She jabbed his chest lightly. "I do want to see how you fight, Mr. I-don't-do-so-much-anymore."

Goku, who watched with curiosity as Kibito went to draw his lot, spoke up. "Gohan, I still can't believe you stopped training?" He sounded disappointed, and Gohan straightened his back.

"Um, w-well…" He stuttered, and Videl almost felt bad for putting him on the spot. He continued, muttering under his breath. "It was weird doing it without you."

Goku nodded, pensive. "Well, I am looking forward to see you fight too. Don't think I'll hold back if we end up in a match together!"

"Of course," Gohan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Krillin came over to them, downtrodden. "I'm in the first match." He bemoaned. Videl guessed that he would want to at least watch some matches without worrying if he was already knocked out. She glanced at the board, where Krillin's name was in the number one spot. His partner had yet to be decided.

"You may get an easy opponent." She tried to reassure him. Like he just realized he was in front of his student, he drew himself up to his full – and short – height.

"You're right, Videl. This is a tournament to confidently show our prowess. You should prepare yourself to do your best as well." She giggled and nodded, tugging subconsciously on the turtle symbol on her gi.

Gohan slipped from her side as she was talking, and Videl almost forget he went under the Great Saiyaman, despite him wearing the outfit. She smiled; months had passed since she last drove herself crazy being unaware of his identity.

With that, the first matchup was decided as Gohan went next to Kibito's name. She studied the tall individual that the group ran into, wondering how he would hold up. She tried sensing his and his short companion's ki, yet came up with no answer. It was no surprise, as she could say she never felt Gohan's full power either.

"Watch yourself with him. I don't think he's a normal opponent." Goku commented once Gohan reached their group. It sounded like concern and genuine curiosity on how the fight will go. Gohan nodded in assent.

Eighteen was the next to get her number, and Videl was again curious to see how she would do. Much like Piccolo, she was someone Videl learned posed a major threat to the earth once. She watched Krillin and Eighteen spar and practice in the lead-up to the tournament, yet (while she was there at least) the two were mainly warming up to become accustomed to fighting again.

She studied everyone in the wait. Goku soon went up to get his number, matchup also undecided. Much like Krillin, she was mostly confident on her chances as she gauged everyone's ki and used her skills as a crime fighter to read other body tells. Spopovitch and his companion were extra tense, and Mighty Mask moved awkwardly as he mistakenly went up when Spopovitch was called. Yeah, they both appeared different. Focusing on the masked fighter, there was something familiar with his ki. It was low but had the same sense that Krillin, Gohan and the others had with the likelihood that he was hiding more. Ki control did not fit the description of the fighter. She tugged on Gohan's sleeve.

"Where are Goten and Trunks?" She had not seen either since after Trunks punched her father outside the ring.

"They should be with Mom, Bulma and everyone else by now," he replied. She hummed noncommittedly and crossed her arms. It must be nothing. Before she learned the truth on these fighters, she was nosy and acted a bit like a conspiracy theorist. She must be paranoid.

She was after Goku, and she bounced on the balls of her feet before she was called. Gohan stared at her, and she knew he thought she was adorable. Sticking her tongue out at him, she walked up to the board. The announcer noticed her gi and asked when she approached. "I remember that uniform. You've been studying with them for long?"

Videl grinned, "Almost a year." It hadn't been quite that long, but it felt like it. She reached her hand in and felt around for a ball. Once she had a firm grip on one, she drew it out, her breath hitched in momentarily in anticipation. Five. She glanced at the board. Spopovitch, then. She shrugged and returned to the group.

Gohan was deep in thought as he contemplated the matchup. "How do you think you'll do?"

"I'll win." She grinned. "Dad beat him easily in the last tournament." Gohan beamed. She rolled her eyes, a faint blush on her cheek for his confidence in her. "You win your match and we'll be against each other in the second round."

Krillin relaxed as his opponent was decided. He brushed off the intimidation tactics with no problem, with a slight mocking in his words. Videl snorted. He was almost a completely different person now. Her master addressed them and echoed the announcer's next words. "Vegeta's next."

They watched as the Saiyan approached the drawing table, a look of disinterest on his face. In addition to Goku and Eighteen, Videl was intrigued to see how he fought. The Saiyan Prince remained confident that she would not be able to properly keep up with his fights, and she wanted a chance to prove him wrong.

Vegeta's face morphed to intense satisfaction as he saw his number. Ignoring the officials, he showed the number to their group, specifically Goku. Number Twelve.

Son Goku and Vegeta would fight in the first round.

Goku was equally pleased, and Videl joined everyone else in gaping in shock. Gohan mumbled about the ring not surviving for everyone else to fight, and Krillin needed to blink several times to comprehend the absurd luck. "Goku and Vegeta? It would be like the final in the first rounds." Videl never saw either Saiyan fight (not counting watching Goku's old tournaments and the Cell Games), yet she knew enough to agree with that statement.

She snapped out of her shock first, to realize that Mighty Mask wasn't going up to being called. Ignoring her suspicions, she decided to go help him out. She walked over to him – mumbling to himself again – and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, you're up."

A squeak that did not sound like it came from a grown man escaped him, and there was a barely audible "Oh, no, it's Videl," that made her second guess if she was hearing things. Pursing her lips, she said nothing as he stumbled over to draw his number.

"How… odd." She decided and strolled back to the others.

Her father was one of the last ones to draw his lot. He was not here, preparing himself alone for the match, and Videl hoped that Trunks did not give him a concussion. He was paired with Eighteen, and she eyed the blonde, who had an air of indifference at the matchup.

"Go easy on him."

Eighteen nodded in response.

With Yamu drawing the last number (fifteen), all the matches were set. She stared at the board, studying the names. She should get at least two good matches- Spopovitch and Gohan. She didn't expect to win her second match, but she will observe and wait with bated breath to see the others. This was the time to show off her new skills and learn from the other fighters here.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

 **A/N** : Oh, Videl, you innocent child. I had a lot of this chapter done when I first finished Chances, at least a full outline of it. I wasn't sure if I would end that story here instead of where I ended up doing it. As it is, it felt more appropriate for this to be a beginning rather than an end. This may end up being the shortest chapter as well.

I always thought it weird that no one noticed Trunks' and Goten's ki as Mighty Mask. Hence, now that Videl can sense ki she's more suspicious. Although with all her time where she was too nosy and looks too deep into things, she still wouldn't think too hard about it. And it isn't mentioned until BoG/Super that gods at that level can only be sensed by other god-level beings, yet in Z – if I'm remembering correctly – it still brings up the fact that no one can get a proper read on Shin and Kibito. Especially Piccolo, who freaks out as the old Kami side of him detects something isn't right.

I have fun plans for this. There are some changes that are dependent on the last story, with Videl and Gohan together and her training being advanced, but a few toward the end are more me shifting the dynamic around with the final fights with Buu. They will hopefully satisfy the people who enjoyed the end of the saga, as well as people who are looking forward to something different. We'll see.

I said I will post this once all the chapters are done, but that is now a lie. I haven't quite finished the last few chapters. There are going to be about eight or nine in total, and I will post the ones I have done every few days. After chapter 4 there may be a week or two break as I finish writing up the second half. I want to get this done by Halloween, so we'll see how that goes.


	2. Match

**A/N** : Thank you everyone for the support on this story. It's nice to know that there is still interest after the several months it took me to get this up.

I'll be honest… this chapter is a big reason why. It went through a few different iterations, with the final one being a couple days ago when I put the first chapter up. I'm happy enough with this version, so let's get to it.

 **Disclaimer** : My DBZ ownership is nothing but DVDs and manga volumes.

* * *

Videl braced herself for her fight; her body thrummed with energy as she monitored her ki. Gohan was the only one who noticed, mildly amused, as it spiked before she managed to calm it down again. It couldn't be that erratic because none of the other Z Fighters were paying her much mind, as they focused on prepping for their own.

There was not much time to prepare, as Krillin's match finished quickly. That was no surprise. She congratulated her master as he came back victorious. Hiding a smirk behind her hand, she shook her head. "You didn't go easy on him."

The former monk sighed and stretched, popping his back. "He was annoying running his mouth. Wasn't worth my time." Videl wanted to ask what he thought about her father then when he mainly used his bravado as a fighting tactic. She wised up and didn't ask, having a good idea anyway what that answer will be.

Krillin turned to face Piccolo as he left for his fight, with the Namekian very nervous. "Good luck, Piccolo!" He turned back to his student, unconcerned that his friend will have any problems. "Are you ready?"

Videl crossed her arms and stared out to the stands. There was sure to be a reaction from the crowd over her new skills, or tricks as a lot of them thought, and the atmosphere of the adult tournament was different than the juniors. It would be a new experience to be sure.

Remembering all that Krillin and the others taught her, knowing her father already accepted (as well as his brain could) what she could do now, she had nothing to be nervous about. She could fly, fire ki relatively well, and believed in her strength more than ever. She rolled her shoulders back, doing her best to dispel the tension and excitement.

"Of course I am," She boasted, one hand on placed over her heart. "I was born for this." Krillin chuckled at her antics and the two made their way over to watch to see how Piccolo was doing.

They hadn't missed much. It seemed to be a staring match as the two assessed each other. Videl clicked her tongue as she stepped next to Gohan, who was watching his mentor. "Is he okay?"

Gohan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. He's stressed but doesn't appear to be physically hurt."

The spectators became restless, and Videl understood them. They did pay to see a match. Finally, Piccolo stepped back after the two had a brief discussion and withdrew from the fight. Gohan, having better hearing then her, blinked in shock. "Piccolo, what?"

"Hm?" Videl asked, yet it soon was clear what happened as Piccolo walked off the ring. The crowd rumbled with confusion as the Namekian retreated back to the waiting area, with Shin right behind him. Everyone gave him a confused look, and Goku asked what happened, although for the moment Piccolo did not say anything.

With the revelation of a previous finalist overwhelmed with something, most cast Shin wary glances. Videl tried again to read him with no such luck.

Now it was her turn. As her name was called, Videl heard the surge of excitement. She took a deep breath as a large smile bloomed on her face. The rest wished her well, and she kissed Gohan briefly before walking out. "Thanks for the luck." She teased and winked at him.

The excitement did not go down as they saw her; although, there was a momentary pause as they noticed her strange gi. Videl waved to the crowd, the smile not leaving her face as the tournament announcement spoke. "Videl is the daughter of our champ, Mr. Satan, and was winner of the last junior tournament. This will be her first time in the adult rounds, and over the last year has taken up the Turtle School of Martial Arts- the first new student there since Son Goku won the tournament years ago. We hear that her teacher is Krillin, another contestant in this tournament and a finalist in previous ones. We definitely should expect a show from this young lady!"

Confusion cloaked the majority with this information, trying to remember anything about the Turtle School. Some must have remembered it from prior tournaments because a few older members in the stands cheered. Others knew it for being one of the trickster schools and murmured to themselves. None dared or thought less of the daughter of their savior for it. Nonetheless, Videl took note of several faces not knowing what to think. She was relieved the majority of them seemed to have their curiosity spiked rather than showing disinterested.

X_X

In the stands, Erasa and Sharpener sat with their other classmates, here to cheer Videl and Mr. Satan on. A couple were shocked that Gohan wasn't here to cheer on his girlfriend, yet Erasa and Sharpener were recovering from the idea on whether or not he was the Great Saiyaman.

Erasa leaned forward in the seat. She was less clued in on fighting than several of those around her; however, she knew enough from being friends with Videl for years. "How do you think she will do?" She motioned to the ring, where Videl was climbing the steps now.

Sharpener snorted in amusement. "She'll pound him to dust. The only one she has to be worried about is Mr. Satan." Erasa pressed her lips together, her chin resting on her hand.

"Obviously. But what kind of fighting will she do? She hasn't told us much on the new training."

He shrugged. "It's Videl. I trust her."

Erasa grinned and together they both yelled. "GO VIDEL!"

Meanwhile, the other Z Fighters did their own loud cheers, with Bulma shoving Roshi in the seat in front of them for trying to look up her dress. She scowled and focused back on Chi Chi. The two had been in a silent stand off all day, at first for their boys and now for their husbands facing off. However, they put that on hold to support the rest of their ragtag group together.

"She'll do great."

Chi Chi nodded in agreement. "Gohan has talked nothing but on how well Videl has approved. It's unfortunate she has to face him in the second round, but it's also romantic." She sighed dreamingly as she recounted her memories with Goku.

Bulma pushed her bangs back. "Well, yes. It's a boyfriend's job to heap praise on his girl." Chi Chi did not turn to her as she responded.

"Yes, Vegeta is such an example of offering pleasantries." The mother focused on seeing if she could spot Goten. She noticed Gohan and Goku at the front of the waiting area, ready to observe the match from there. Still, her youngest should have showed up by now.

"That doesn't matter. Vegeta insults everyone." Bulma replied and sat back down primly. "Besides, you don't know what he says when we're alone." Her voice was coy.

Yamcha coughed from sitting next to them as he helped babysit Marron. "Can we not? Ex sitting right here." His face was red with embarrassment. Bulma laughed softly and patted her friend on the knee.

"It's alright, Yamcha. I won't bore you with the details." She teased. The former fighter sighed. Marron stared at the two adults then focused back on Miss Videl, waving her short arms as she cheered.

X_X

Videl muted out the crowd as she leveled Spopovitch with a hard stare. Time for her moment. The only thing that could make it better was if her father was watching her fight. He was recovering though (she should really check afterward if he had a concussion). She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Gohan, Krillin, Goku and a few of the others watching from the entryway. Giving them a thumbs up, she dropped into an offensive stance.

The announcer let a lull drop in the stands before he threw up his hand. "Let the match begin!"

Videl jumped into action, drawing her fist back for a punch. It was best to conserve her energy, likely as it was that she would fight Gohan next. She managed to punch Spopovitch below his left rib, however when she threw her other fist out for a follow-up that was blocked. No matter.

She smirked and went into a barrage of attacks, raising her ki slightly with each blow to see what would affect him. Pleased with her results, she kicked him in the stomach and successfully knocked him to the ground. She easily returned to her stance, prepared for any counter. He was a big guy, and Videl did not want to waste too much energy. Probably best to do a ring out.

Her focus drilled into her opponent. The spectators were there, though, and cheered for one of their champions. Gohan had a pleased smile on his face, and Goku nodded in approval, standing beside his son.

Up on the tournament building, to avoid being found out, was Goten and Trunks in their disguise. "Big sis is doing it!" Goten cheered. Trunks nodded in agreement.

Spopovitch stood up, overall unfazed. Goku's smile dropped for a second, but no one else noticed a problem.

Videl went for another kick at his chest. It did not have the same effect. She frowned. Prior to being able to land on her feet, the tall male grabbed her ankle and tossed her to the center of the ring. The force almost twisted her ankle, and she bit back a wince. Using her ki to soften her landing, she landed gracefully on her feet. "Let's do this, Videl." She charged, ready to up the ante. Behind her, a soft echo in her ears, the people cheered.

Her barrage continued for a couple minutes. After that time, she decided she could have a little fun in this match. It also helped to not admit she was getting tired. Drawing her hand up, she focused. At the corner of her eye, she noticed Krillin and the others watching her. This was for all her hard months of work. A small ki orb materialized in front of her, a bit oblong as it formed in her hand. The people in the stands shushed, glancing at each other in confusion. What was Videl doing?

"You're a tough opponent, I'll give you that!" She shouted at Spopovitch and tossed the orb like a discus. It cut through the air toward her foe, and she felt the collective gasp in the stadium. It hit Spopovitch clean in the face. Ouch. She lowered into a defensive stance in case of an immediate comeback. If that didn't knock him out.

"She should pull out." Goku muttered from where he stood. Gohan glanced at him.

"What? She's doing great."

Spopovitch wiped the blood off his lips, and Videl narrowed her eyes. She had hoped that would have done more. Before she could react, however, he was in front of her and kneed her in the stomach. Videl coughed and lurched back; this time more clumsy when she caught her balance with her ki.

It wasn't her turn to be on the attack, as his fist delivered an uppercut to her jaw. She spit out blood as she flew across the ring. The crowd gasped, yet she hovered in the air to not ring out. That would be embarrassing, in a couple hits?

"Woah, now she's flying?"

"What is this, a trick?"

"Does Mr. Satan know about this?"

Videl ignored their reactions as she flew at Spopovitch. She drew her arm back and fired another ki blast. He dodged it and elbowed her in the shoulder, sending her toppling to the ground. She groaned and rolled to the side, using her right hand to bring herself up. Dazed, otherwise she thought she was doing all right.

"Videl…" Gohan stepped forward, his ki rising slightly in concern. He felt a hand on his elbow; Krillin stood there with a gentle smile on his face.

"So, he's tougher than we thought. She'll do fine."

She remained steady and managed to catch the next punch as it was sent her way. "Not going to be that easy, jerk." Really? She could come up with greater insults to the criminals on the streets. Then she twisted his wrist and flung him over her shoulder. They weren't close enough to the edge of the ring, unfortunately.

"Heh," Spopovitch got up and ran to her again. Videl launched in the air, firing another ki blast below her. He dodged it and flew after her. Oh. Well, this was problematic. She licked her lips as sweat formed at her brow.

"She really should withdrawal." Goku's voice was more concerned now, brow furrowed in concentration. "Something's not right with him."

Vegeta hummed noncommittedly as he – with obvious distaste – agreed with his rival. He analyzed the fight with cool eyes, trying to piece together the same problems.

Dodging to the side as a ki blast was aimed at her, she growled as it singed her gi, the pain searing at her side, unable to get out of the way. So, this was what it felt like. No one actually used ki blasts against her in her training.

Her thoughts were cut off, she spun around and received another punch in the stomach. Coughing up blood, she drifted lazily to the ground as she struggled to make her ki keep her afloat.

It shouldn't be this hard. She trained more than this. She closed her eyes, centering her willpower as her ki rose. There was blood, sweat and tears before, prepping for this tournament. What she was sure will be the pinnacle of her young life. "Not yet," she murmured, adjusting in the air so she could land properly.

Videl stumbled to the side, yet stubbornly refused to fall. Time to try it then. She was not going down like this. She was kicked back before she had the chance, and she screamed more in annoyance than pain.

It was a couple minutes later when Videl noticed her problem. In an effort to try and pace this properly, and not to tire herself out, she screwed herself over in her estimations. She believed that she would have more stamina and energy than Spopovitch- a bigger, larger opponent who had to lug a lot of muscle around, and who shouldn't have been a ki user. Her underestimation caused her to not end the fight quickly, and now her own body started to give way as nothing that should be working, was.

She brought her arms up to parry a couple attacks, being pushed back an inch or two with each blow. Her heels were unable to dig into the smooth, hard surface of the ring. Videl missed the dirt and rubble she had trained in the last several months.

X_X

The people became anxious as Videl was slowly being beat. When it looked like she was ready to attack, another hit sent her back, but not out of the ring. Both fighters refused to let that happen. Erasa picked at the flag that bore her friend's name, as her eyes widened. "You can do this Videl!" Sharpener echoed her words.

Chi Chi had her hands to her mouth, hiding the fact that she was biting her lip for her future daughter-in-law. Bulma leaned forward next to her, "Videl! Take him down!" Marron dropped the mini-flags that had everyone's names scribbled on them. Her young face was confused.

"I thought my first matches were rough." Yamcha straightened up, "Go Videl!" he shouted.

X_X

Her ears were ringing. She did not know how long this had gone, but she would not concede to going over the time limit. Her body shook from her wounds and her frustration, and with a glare at Spopovitch, she jumped backward. "You asked for this." That should buy her enough time to attack.

She had not successfully done it yet. Well, time to join her master in that regard and throw all her eggs in her basket. She would not get another chance if this failed here. Wiping blood off her face, she then cupped her hands to her side. "Ka…"

"Is she?" Gohan and Krillin spoke at the same time. Goku looked up in shock, and even Vegeta seemed mildly impressed. Gohan dug his nails to the side of the entryway. "Come on, Videl."

"Me…" Videl forced the syllables out as the ki started to form in her hands. "Ha… me…" Spopovitch's eyes widened. Videl smirked, her limbs shaking in exertion. Eggs, one basket. She prayed this worked, as she channeled all of her ki into the light forming in her hands. The ball grew larger, and she closed her eyes. Despite being on her last leg, it was nice to go out with a bang. "HA!" She fired the beam. It was strong and steady surge of energy, and Videl's smile grew. "I did it."

Unfortunately, her opponent remained standing. And her energy was spent. With her reserves sputtering in protest, her knees buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground.

X_X

Gohan wished the fight would end since Videl put everything she had into that blast. She was at her last reserves, and that left her at Spopovitch's mercy, which was lacking. Almost every blow that was delivered sent a surge of fury up him. His fist clenched at his side, and his ki spiked, rattling the wooden walls and knocking a stand down.

"Gohan, don't." Goku realized what Gohan was doing the second he decided it. He grabbed his son's shoulder and squeezed.

"No, Dad. Don't stop me." Golden aura danced around him as he turned Super Saiyan, not even aware of it as his muscles bulged with the extra surge of ki and his bandana flew off. His voice was cold. Goku tightened his grip. He doubted Gohan had taken that dark tone ever since Cell.

At the corner of the waiting area, Shin and Kibito shared a glance. They nodded to each other, watching Yamu carefully as he observed his companion in the ring.

Videl hit the ground with a loud thud; the tiles of the ring cracked below her. Gohan grit his teeth. "Don't. you." He lunged forward. "VIDEL!"

Goku wrapped his arms around him, pinning his arms to his sides. When they said Gohan had not trained much in the past seven plus years, he did not expect to have such trouble holding him back. He switched to Super Saiyan himself, turning to Vegeta, who was the only one who could help him. Vegeta scowled and continued to watch with a neutral expression. Goku thought it was cold of him, but what the Saiyan Prince said next surprised him.

"Tell me you won't do the same thing, Kakarot."

Krillin stepped out as Gohan continued to struggle against his father. He made his way over to the announcer. His stomach lurched at Videl having her skills halted at an unnatural opponent.

"Videl!"

Gohan's scared and angry voice cut through her consciousness. She blinked in the direction of the sound of it. "Go… han." She had trouble seeing him from her position, and blood dripping in her eyes, but she felt his ki, unmistakably. It was the strongest she ever felt. She did see Krillin, though, as he approached the side of the ring. Both their ki signatures were agitated, and they weren't the only ones there. There was Goku's, and Vegeta's, and the boys', and Piccolo's. Her mouth twitched. She would have at least liked to get the formality to try to face off with them.

Her hands went to her eyes. She had not done this before either, but why not? She remembered Krillin reviewing the technique as a way to save time and get the upper hand. "Solar Flare!" The sun flashed behind her eyelids and Spopovitch dropped her in shock as he covered his eyes.

Videl felt every millisecond pile up. All or nothing. She twisted in the air, and with the last of her ki she mustered up, she managed to position herself behind him. Kicking hard on his back, she fired a large ki blast at close range. Her breath hitched, the world spinning around her, and black dots fading in and out of her vision. 100 percent, spent. Relief passed over her, with Spopovitch falling over at the edge of the ring, before her battle with consciousness failed.

Gohan broke free out of Goku's grasp, having his sunglasses to protect his eyes as Goku covered his. He sprinted to her side, his Super Saiyan form dropping now that the trouble had passed. Krillin was by his side as he reached Videl's and bent down to pick her up. In the roaring rage in his ears, he heard for a stretcher to be brought out.

"I got this." He snapped, holding his girlfriend close to his chest. As soon as he felt her heartbeat, he calmed down. He glanced at Krillin and the tournament announcer.

"Um… where's the medical bay?"

X_X

Trunks and Goten had fallen off the roof as they had conflicted ideas on whether or not to help Videl. Trunks got tangled up in the costume after Goten leaped forward without warning. Rubbing his head, he quickly readjusted the mask.

"Urh, being stuck to you sucks." He glared down at his torso, where it appeared Goten had twisted around in his attempt to escape. "She will be fine." He paused, cracking his knuckles nervously.

"But big sis." Goten rolled over to face the right direction again and the two stumbled to their feet. "…Are you sure, Trunks?"

"Yeah! She won! And she's with Gohan- he's one of the strongest there is." He smiled in confidence. "After my dad. That was a rough match, but it turned out well."

Goten frowned. "And my dad." He included.

"Whatever." Trunks waved his hand, and they returned to their position to watch the rest of the matches play out.

X_X

Videl woke up with all her injuries and the utter exhaustion her body went through gone. Huh, those senzu beans were miracles after all. She remembered Gohan and Krillin mentioning them, but she never had cause to try one. She gazed down at her hands, more so to avoid Gohan's, Krillin's and her father's relieved faces.

Shame was not the word she would use to describe this feeling, but it was close. She buried her face in her hands.

Krillin grinned at her, strained, and he stepped closer to her bedside. "You did great, Videl. I was so proud to see you get the Kamehameha down." Gohan, who was sitting at her side, nodded in agreement. His bandana had fallen out, and she wasn't sure he noticed. He took her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. Mr. Satan stood a few yards away, clearly uncomfortable with talks of ki blasts and the state she was in. He was still here though.

"Right," she drawled, punching the bed sheets in frustration. "It failed."

Her master tapped his nonexistent nose and smiled genuinely this time. "Neither did mine, not really." Videl leaned back on the bed, eyes closed.

"I guess. In the end, we won."

They stayed there for a couple minutes, and she was grounded with Gohan's hand in hers. The silence was nice. That was until her boyfriend gave a soft squeak and stood up. "My match!" Kissing her lightly, he ran out of the room, a burst of air and compressed energy shaking the furniture in the medbay.

Videl chuckled. "Nerd."

Krillin stayed with her as her father left to tell the masses and press that she was all right. The doctors were also already cleared out. Videl wondered if her father was trying harder then he appeared with believing the tricks, if he got them privacy when Gohan got her a magical bean to heal her. Her heart tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut. She could have done so much better.

"Hey," the short man beside her was hesitant, but he motioned to her tattered clothes. "You should switch into something comfortable."

Her immediate response was no, and she clung to her gi, shaking her head. "I- I can't. I worked too hard for this."

His eyes understanding, he relented. "I get it, trust me. It's hard to get a beat down. I'm happy you're all right, Videl." Krillin left, and Videl took a minute to collect herself. A win shouldn't feel so disheartening. Almost on autopilot, she got up and headed back in the direction of the ring to where Gohan should be starting his fight by now. Almost as a reply to her thoughts, she felt the spike of his ki in the distance, comforting and overwhelming.

* * *

 **A/N** : Yay… I'm finally done :). This was a pain to write. With how Videl's training was a large focus of the previous story, I knew I had to give this as a proper payoff. That said… I always knew in my gut she won't do well in it, even before writing this. There are a couple factors that led to this outcome: Videl at first not ending it quickly, and when she tries she doesn't quite have enough and wastes her reserves; the second is that I see Majins with abnormal endurance that's hard to read and pinpoint. Videl originally breaks Spopovitch's neck and the guy is completely undisturbed by it. Someone like that won't go down easily, although everything else about them says they should. Goku's lucky that he already knows how Majins fight, and with Vegeta informing him how he was a better fighter, beyond his usual means.

With all that, I still wanted to give her the win, albeit with a sneaky trick catching him off guard and pure luck mixed with stubbornness. I think it's cool that she echoes the two who have helped her the most – Krillin and Gohan – in their prominent fights. Krillin's Kamehameha failed against Chaozu, and Gohan was dead exhausted after beating Cell.

If you're not happy with how it turned out- I don't blame you. It was rough for me to reach a point where I am.

Next chapter, after a brief scene, it jumps ahead quite a bit, and we get to see Buu… woo.

Review Responses:

 **johndoe86** : There are a few prominent changes, but I will be honest to not set you up for disappointment, it's not as much as some would probably like. The first half I focus on character moments, both canon and additional, and the second half changes Super Buu as a villain and adjusts the fights accordingly. The one thing I am beyond pleased with is Gohan's fight with Buu. The guy definitely has more time to shine, and his reasons for how well he does in that fight depends on separate factors I won't spoil. Otherwise, the overall story stays mostly intact, the pacing remains wonky in this one-shot format, yet I trim it up so it won't feel slow. Those are my goals for this, and I hope you and others who don't necessarily enjoy the Buu Saga can find points in this story that are enjoyable. Thank you for the review :)  
 **illjwamh** : Thank you! I'm happy I caught you at a good time. Videl does come into the scene late in the series, and while that's often a hit or miss for me on new characters, her perspective being relatively normal surrounded by people who have become accustomed to the crazy is one thing I've always enjoyed in DBZ.  
 **MadmanJrs** : Thanks, it's good to get this up.  
 **Anonymous** : Thank you for the review and sticking with this! Eh heh, I hope this was all right for you then. I explained my thought process above, but I worry the actual chapter fails in some ways. It's no one's fault but mine; I was aware before writing this will be a divisive chapter no matter how much I rewrote it. I agree though. If it was a normal opponent at Spopovitch's strength she would have one easily.  
 **TheAlphaOfLife** : Thank you!


	3. Sacrifice

**A/N** : Thank you for everyone reading, following, favoriting and reviewing this story. The support means the world to me :).

This chapter is a long one. I haven't finished writing them all yet, but it may remain one of the longest as I wrap up the last couple before posting. The first section is soon after the last chapter ended, and after that the 'highlight reel' method I'm trying takes effect as it jumps ahead a few hours and then we're bouncing all over the place. This section of the show and manga is some of the most confusing with keeping track of where everyone is. In my experience writing this chapter, at least XD. Let me know how it comes across, so I can work on scene transitions in future parts.

 **Disclaimer** : I'm not Akira Toriyama or any of the companies that hold rights to DBZ and related properties.

 **Warnings** : Back in the first chapter, when I said character deaths will start a few chapters in, yeah… that's now, and will continue to the end. Also a note for language and some descriptions of violence, which goes for the whole story.

* * *

Videl stood next to Gohan. While she thought he still looked pale, that may be her worrying over nothing. Kibito healed him fine. She rubbed her arms as Gohan moved back to prepare to leave to catch up to his father and the others. Sensing her discomfort, he paused and turned around to her. Before he met her eyes, she blurted out.

"Let me come with you!"

He gaped at her, and she caught a flash of protectiveness in his eyes. She pushed back her anger at the reaction and instead smiled sweetly. "Please." She stepped forward and took his hand. "Let me help."

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "But you're still in the tournament. What about your next match?"

Behind her, Videl could hear the crowd whispering. At this distance, Videl was unable to pick up words. All she knew was that it was a singular mass, one where – just like her father – she wanted to impress. Her lips twitched sadly. "What match?" Her gaze traveled to Gohan and Kibito. "Both of you two are leaving, several of you have, most likely they'll cancel the tournament." Her heart made the decision to help Gohan save the world, whether she could only be support or more.

Her boyfriend sighed, exasperated, "Promise if it gets too hard you will turn back."

The answer in her gut was no. Her curiosity wanted to see what this problem was, and the hero part of her wanted to help. However, the logical part of her brain conceded that will be best. She did not want to bring anyone down by her lack of experience (at a global scale) with saving the world, especially Gohan. "I promise."

X_X

They had been flying for a while, and they remained far away from their fathers and the weird ki signatures. Trunks was getting annoyed that he and Goten were not there yet. It didn't help that Eighteen caught them in their 'participating in the adult tournament' act. Halting in midair, he turned to face Goten. "Are we really that slow? We're not even 3/4s of the way there yet!"

His friend rubbed the back of his head. "We should speed up? Race you!"

Trunks nodded. Before either of them could fly faster, the ki they were following suddenly switched directions. Now it was like their dads and Gohan were back in the direction of the tournament. "Uh… so what way are we going?"

Goten shrugged and pointed where they were originally going.

X_X

A couple minutes before, Videl paused in the air, having enough energy to keep herself up, though not much more to fly. She thought she had done well in her flying capabilities, but she couldn't keep up with those who did it as second nature. Maybe it was for the best. She did not want to be the girl her boyfriend worried about when saving the world. She'll either be a help, or she will get out of the way. Her pride accepted that.

She sent a silent prayer to Dende that they will be alright, at the same moment cursing herself for letting Trunks and Goten follow after them when she informed the two kids on what was going on. She had known them long enough to acknowledge their curiosity and that her spilling the beans was a bad idea. 'Yeah, I told Goten what's going on like Gohan asked, but now he and Chi Chi will kill me for not stopping the brats.' She rubbed a bead of sweat off her brow. All things considered, she was making good time to getting back to the tournament grounds. She hoped Chi Chi, Bulma, and the others won't take the news badly.

They were used to this kind of stuff, right?

She sped off again, picking up her pace as she was almost there. Remembering her conversation with Goten and Trunks, she wondered what she could have done differently to not have the kids be so eager and reckless.

X_X

Videl paused when she saw two specks flying toward her at high speeds. Within seconds, those specks grew bigger and she distinguished them as Trunks and Goten. For some reason, both were Super Saiyan, and they stopped on a dime in front of her.

"Big sis!" Goten hugged her and Trunks gave her a nod in greeting. She hugged back, and almost dreading the answer, she asked.

"What are you guys doing out here. What's going on at the tournament?" Half the members had simultaneously dropped out for no apparent reason. Neither boy was eager to answer, both miffed and disappointed at something. Weird.

Trunks gave her a quick assessment, which Videl imagined he got from both his parents. "Do you know what's going on, where did everyone go?"

She nodded. Pushing that moment aside, one that told her to hold her tongue, she said. "Yeah, Gohan asked me to update everyone else what was happening."

The two children suddenly morphed into, well, children's puppy dog faces begging to know. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "You see…"

X_X

Yep, she could have handled that better. The two had flown off almost as soon as she finished. Neither was around with the last major threat to the world – Trunks was just a baby – and as super-powered children neither grasped the full extent of possible danger. Maybe she could have held back some of the info and said she'll tell the rest once everyone else was present. That way someone who was more adept at handling to two could have stopped them.

'I hope they will be all right. Gohan, take care of your little brother. I'm sorry for sending him after you.'

She could see the stadium in the distance. Around that same moment, a nagging feeling at the back of her head became a red flag. There was overwhelming ki signatures from there, at the level where she felt light-headed from even being near them. It felt like Gohan, Goku and Vegeta? That made no sense. Videl left them over an hour ago, and even if she was no where near their level, she would notice if they passed her again.

Rubbing her head, she would have to talk to Gohan again to figure out this mess once she landed. She needed to land; sweat trickling down her neck as the exertion of the flight caught up to her.

Before that could happen, the red flags became a blaring siren and she flew up on instinct. A split-second later, a quarter of the stands and much of the city below her was decimated by a large ki blast.

Videl stared down, mouth agape as her shaking hands raised to it. She could not comprehend what just happened. What happened? Her gag reflex activated and she curled up in midair. Gohan? His ki was still there, steady and true, but she could not concentrate on anything else to see who else was alive. Who wasn't.

Screams drifted up to her from the survivors in the stands. The people who were dead in the blast, well, they did not have the chance. By the time Videl collected her bearings, another blast rang out, and a couple hundred more people were dead.

X_X

Trunks stopped in midair again and turned around. He scratched his head, but beyond that he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He could not place a why, but he suddenly needed to hurry up and catch up to his dad and the others. The prickle went up his side and he glanced at Goten. His friend did not seem to sense the same problem, yet he stopped and sent a concerned look to him anyway.

"What's wrong?"

Trunks sighed at the question and sped off again. He called over his shoulder. "Let's hurry up! I want to see this Majin Buu guy!" The anxiousness hardly reached his voice, and he sped off again.

They flew for another half hour, and Trunks did his best to not focus as his dad's ki keep changing directions. Goten's face was also scrunched in confusion but neither slowed. At one point though, Goten spoke up. "Doesn't it feel like our dad's are fighting each other?"

Trunks frowned. "I guess it does." The eight-year-old was not used to being this unsure of himself. His fists clenched and added a burst of speed, with Goten right at his heels. A couple more minutes passed by until a huge ki spiked in the close distance and halted the boys in their tracks. Trunks gaped, and Goten's eyes grew as wide as saucers. They glanced at each other, back toward the direction of the ki, and back at each other. That was the ki they were following.

"Is that Majin Buu?" Trunks asked. Goten nodded, mute in his own shock. Then he grinned, and the older boy managed a small one of his own.

"Race you!" And then he was off. Trunks rolled his eyes and charged after him.

X_X

Videl took a few more minutes to find a place to land. She did not want to be obvious about her entrance, for one, but she also wanted to avoid the rubble and bodies. Whichever way he came to be back here, Gohan was already gone, too far away for her to sense his ki properly. All she could do is put her faith in him being all right. Dust still drifted in the air, not yet settled on the barren terrain. She coughed, a more hacking sound than she would usually allow herself. The next second tears stung her vision and she surged forward.

"DAD! ERASA!" She tripped on a stone slab, and she was too disoriented to catch herself. With a heavy thud, she landed and her body took a few seconds before delivering the pain. "Sharpener!" Her voice was weaker, yet her muscles were steady once she pushed herself to her feet. A couple tears shed over her cheeks, hastily being wiped away. They had to be all right.

She started running again, not checking any bodies, as she was terrified what she would find. Videl had to find her family and friends whole. She just had too.

What was left of the stadium was deserted, and her voice fell on deaf ears. That's what she thought, until she heard a soft voice to her left, "Videl." Her steps slowed, throat tight.

A blonde woman stood a few paces away, a young girl in her arms. Videl swallowed the heaviness she felt and took a tentative step forward.

"Eighteen?"

The older woman nodded, and Videl ran toward her, relief evident on her face. She figured the rest of the Z Fighters could handle themselves, so they weren't the first concern in her mind yet to see the older woman all right made her chest feel a hundred times better.

Before she could ask, Eighteen beat her to the punch. "What happened? What happened to the others?" Right, she promised Gohan she would deliver the news. Her mind and mouth did not want to connect, and she stood there frozen.

"Videl?" Her voice lacked the typical coolness Videl was used to. Instead, it sounded young. Eighteen's physical age was hardly older than her, and this was the first time she noticed it. Marron was curled up in her mother's arms, face hidden. They were just as shaken up as she was. Videl needed to get herself together.

"I, I'm sorry." She curled her shoulders in and stared at her hands. "I turned back because I wasn't enough to catch up. I don't know how they are." The teenager rubbed her eyes, "I couldn't do anything. Maybe if…" she grabbed her arms and hugged herself. "I- I need to find a way to help someone- do anything."

Eighteen grabbed her shoulder with her free hand, holding Marron in her other. Ice blue orbs stared into hers and the blonde sounded more like herself as she responded. "You got the dragon balls earlier this year, right? That will do it. Bulma has kept them at Capsule Corp. She said we'll use them to bring everybody back."

Videl nodded. It felt like she was wearing her weighted clothing, although all she had on was her beaten up gi. That's it. She was not all lost here. "But. I need to find my friends. Dad…"

"He's alive." Eighteen replied. "Your friends… several people surrounded the idiot after the blasts went off. I'm sure they were there." Videl relaxed; however, she was aware the low probability of Eighteen actually knowing that. She only showed pictures of her friends from school a couple times.

A hand rested on her chest, and she searched out her friends' ki. There was nothing. She clung to the hope anyway, and her pessimistic side was unable to vanquish it. They must be alive. Everyone she left behind today, and that was a lot of people. She forced a smile. Eighteen must be worried sick. Krillin was not one of the ones she felt return to the stadium briefly. The best she could do is offer some of her own faith as well. "I'm positive he is all right. There's too much for him to come home to without fail."

She stepped closer to Eighteen and followed her, doing her best to ignore the destruction around her. That of which, she had little luck in. "What happened? I thought Gohan was here for a minute, but none of them passed me. And…" Words died in her throat. As it was, everything she got out already trailed together in a rush. The magnitude of the situation hung over her head.

Eighteen glanced at her, brushing hair out of her face. She paused, clearly thinking through her words. Then the blonde sighed and spoke over her shoulder.

"Vegeta."

Videl blinked repeatedly, not comprehending. "What?"

X_X

"Damn it, Vegeta." Gohan stood in front of the pulsing ball that contained Buu. Pink steam started to come out of the stand, and Babadi was laughing maniacally. "I'm… I'm sorry, Dad. But damn you, too." Stupid battle lust Saiyans, stupid grudges, stupid monsters! He pressed his lips together, and eyes squeezed shut.

"I, I don't understand. He shouldn't be gaining energy this quickly." Supreme Kai was stunned beside him, expression marred in terror. Gohan's heart went out to his companion, but this was what happened when you counted on Saiyans to save the world. It always screwed up.

He straightened up, hands wiping against his knees fruitlessly. "They must both be beyond Super Saiyan. The damage energy they are putting out must be amplified."

His modified Saiyaman uniform was in near shreds thanks to his fight with Dabura; he was about to see the world possibly end – again – and he wished he could be angry. Miracles (and severe consequences) happened when he was angry. All he was, was tired.

All he wanted was to spend the day with his father, family, and friends, Videl… But no! Seven years was too long for peace. He screamed in frustration.

In the back of his mind, he remembered his father's words when he had the final showdown with Cell. How he messed up back then and was able to fix it. He watched, in his mind's eye, catching up with his father after seven years, enjoying his mother's comfort and cooking, seeing the kids laughing, watching the sunset with Videl.

So many happy memories, and every body's lives will be wiped away if he did not stop Buu awakening here. "No!" His ki picked up and whipped dust around him. Gohan focused on the initial rage he felt on realizing his failure, and the deep-seated desire to protect the world he grew up on. Sparks formed around him, as his hair turned longer, breaching Super Saiyan 2. After avoiding the transformation for years, and doing it a few times today already, he found the rush prickle in unease at corner of his consciousness.

This won't be Cell, though. He was focused. "Stand back!" He shouted at Supreme Kai and got in position. The god's stance was one of astonishment, lips parted in his shock, as Gohan's ki grew higher still.

"Right!" He grinned at him. "You got this Gohan!"

The teenager smirked and faced the ball that contained Buu. 'Since it's too late to worry about the energy he's getting, I'm throwing everything I got into this.' "Kame…" The ball of ki grew in his hands, already spiked hair blowing back with its force. 'This is for everyone.' "Hame…" He scowled, eyes narrowed as he spotted Babadi and Dabura in the background. His soft voice carried over to the villains, and they stared at each other in confusion.

"HAA!" He fired the beam, throwing all his last hopes into it. 'I'm not letting you down this time, Dad.' The blast collided with Buu's ball. The containment rocked in place as Gohan continued to keep up the attack. He forgot about his confrontation with Cell, and instead passed everything he had to hope that this would work out.

He heard Babadi's scream as the ball was knocked out of place, and Buu's prison rolled a couple feet, yet continued to suffer the full brunt of Gohan's attack. "Now!" Gohan shouted, with a final surge of power firing into the attack.

X_X

Miles away, Goku paused in his fight with Vegeta. "Gohan," his son was doing it, yet he felt it would not be enough. "Hey, Vegeta maybe we should st-" The other Saiyan's fist collided with his face, and he flew back before he could finish.

"Enough talk and fight me Kakarot!"

X_X

Gohan's hands dropped to his sides, and he shook with adrenaline as he took a step forward. Buu's ball blackened under the force of his attack, but it remained whole. The evil ki overwhelmed him and filled all his senses. He clenched his teeth and gathered his reserves in another attack.

"Gohan," He ignored Supreme Kai, ignored the anxiousness in his voice, and instead zeroed once more on his target. Sweat traveling down his neck as he took a step forward and another.

"Ha!"

Deep down, he knew this was pointless. That this time, despite his rage, willpower, and Saiyan biology, he lacked the ability to resolve this issue now. Nonetheless, he pushed on because he had a life he wanted to continue to live, and Saiyan stubbornness did perform miracles before.

X_X

Dust rose in the distance and despite being miles away they both stared as the earth shook below them. Goten's typical cheerful face creased with worry. Neither brought up how it was difficult to detect their fathers' or Gohan's ki in comparison to Buu.

When they were close enough to feel overwhelmed by the energy, and the dust cloud of battle obstructed their more immediate vision, the kids dropped to the nearby cliffs. "Over there!" Trunks looked over to the sound of Goten's voice to see where his friend was pointing. It appeared like a Piccolo statue. Weird. The Namekian's ki was nowhere around here, although it should be, since he left with everyone else.

He dropped next to Goten and together they walked around the stone replica. Trunks poked the side, and brushed Goten's hand away when he tried to bat him away.

"How did a statue of Piccolo get out here?" Goten questioned, flying above to get a better view. Trunks shrugged.

"It seems like it should be Piccolo, but I can't sense any ki." He scratched his face and pushed on the statue. It tittered for a moment, and the boy's eyes widened. It was feeble stone, not secured in anything, so he should watch his strength…

"Trunks! Over here!" Trunks turned around as the Piccolo statue fell and shattered on the ground. Trunks shivered, but pushed the restlessness of what that meant aside, and climbed down to meet Goten.

The black-haired child was walking around another stone statue, this time one of Krillin, with the face one of terror. Goten giggled and flew around him. "He looks funny. I don't think Krillin would appreciate this likeness of him." Trunks stood a distance away, head tilted to the side as he tried to piece together what was going on. It was almost enough to forget the looming ki in the background that belonged to Buu.

He was about to go check because he wanted to see the supposed evil being before his father beat him. However, Goten gasped behind him, and the curiosity of his immediate surroundings won out. He did remember to suppress his ki though, as the other ki that was fighting Buu disappeared.

The stone Krillin thrummed softly, as the rough surface transitioned to smooth skin and rumpled clothes. For a couple seconds, he was eerily still until the short man gasped out and placed his hands on his chest. "Oh, I'm back to normal. Where's that Supreme Kai guy, and Goku and the others?" When he noticed Goten and Trunks, he blinked in confusion. "Hey, kiddos. You probably should not be here. What happened?"

Goten glanced at his friend, yet Trunks was trembling in horror. "I need to check on something." He floated to where he broke the other statue. 'Shit, Piccolo. I murdered Piccolo!' His worst fears were realized as he saw the broken pieces of the Namekian, but instead of clean stone they were twitching piles of flesh.

He gagged and scrubbed his face harshly. 'No, no, no, no.' His head swirled as he returned to the other two. He worked his mouth; however, at first no words came out. "Um, so, we have a problem. I…"

"What is it?" His friend's face was the picture of innocence. He suddenly felt the urge to protect the boy from what he done.

In his shock, it took a moment to realize Goten was not the one who spoke. He spun around to see a perfectly healthy Piccolo. "How?" Trunks squeaked out.

Piccolo guessed what was bothering the kid and tapped his head. "As long as this remains intact, I can regenerate from anything." Goten remained confused, yet Krillin gulped. Trunks, relieved, sunk to the ground with a heavy sigh.

"What happened?" Piccolo continued questioning, but his voice trailed off as he spun around. "Is that from Majin Buu?"

They all focused on the ki and climbed up to a better vantage point to see what was going on. Trunks narrowed his eyes; the pink blob in the distance was dancing happily as he patted his belly.

"Uh huh. I saw him turn the other guy into a cookie and eat him before we landed." Goten said in a conspirator voice.

"What?" Trunks had not remembered seeing that. He inched closer, gaze strained on the figures in the distance. It looked like Buu and the short guy – Babadi? – were the only ones there. Where was everyone else?

Piccolo focused on Goten, fingers drumming against the rock in agitation. "Where's Supreme Kai? Gohan? Or Go-"

"Dad!" Trunks shouted. He leaned forward from his crouch, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, and Vegeta." Piccolo nodded stiffly. Trunks shook his head and pointed just as an explosion rocked the valley they were overlooking. A new ki spiked in the vicinity, and the older boy saw his father's silhouette in the distance. Once the dust cleared, it was obvious he turned Super Saiyan, but one stronger than Trunks had ever witnessed.

He chuckled, hands balled eagerly at his side. This is what he came all this way for. "I get to see Dad beat up Buu."

Both children were eager to see the fight, perched on the edge as they started to cheer Vegeta on. Caught up in their excitement, neither noticed the utter terror and defeat cross Piccolo's face as his super hearing picked up what Vegeta was saying. "Go- Gohan…" Krillin glanced anxiously at his friend but did not question it.

It was difficult to see the full extent of the battle from where they were but from what was shown it was clear that, right now at least, Vegeta was winning. Piccolo was nervous that Buu wasn't fighting back. Trunks, meanwhile, had all his focus on his father. He never saw Vegeta fight all-out before, and any worry he had about it was pushed to the side. "Go, Dad, go!" He punched the air, swinging his legs over the edge.

He supposed if everything went normally – and if he did not try to sneak into the adult tournament – this was what it would have been like cheering on his dad as he fought Goku or the others. With that thought, he glanced at Goten. His friend seemed momentarily unconcerned, as attentive to the current fight as he was. He was biting his nail and muttering in concentration. "Come on, Uncle."

This was a battle for the world, and Trunks was smart enough to realize it. That was further down his consideration list because he had full faith his father would come through. He whooped and jumped in the air after Buu was blasted in the stomach.

"He did it!"

"Yes!" Goten echoed, bounding up next to the older boy.

Piccolo growled, and Krillin was on the edge. They noticed that Buu's ki remained steady, while Vegeta's was starting to go down.

Trunks paused as Buu healed himself. His cheers tapered off, and he stammered in confusion. "What… what's going on?" He was hovering in the air out of his joy prior, but now he had half the mind to fly over to help. He did not get the chance, as Piccolo shouted at them.

"Get down!"

"Beat him up, Dad." He murmured than hurried to a sheltered spot with the others.

The blast crumbled their surroundings, yet everyone in their group was intact. Trunks rubbed his head and looked around. The terrain seemed completely different, with dust particles trapped in his throat and his head throbbing. Goten let the lizard he was protecting go, and Trunks ran passed his friend.

"DAD!" His voice reverberated in the air for a couple seconds, and he did not care if anyone else heard him. He wanted his dad to hear him. He narrowed his eyes to slits, and through the settling terrain he spotted Vegeta still standing. He sighed in relief, yet his spine stiffened so he couldn't move.

"Uncle…" Goten stopped next to him. Then he shook his head rapidly, surveying every inch of land he could see. "Where's big brother? Dad? Shouldn't they be helping?" Goten was about to search for them, staying away from Buu, but he had no ki to pinpoint to. Trunks grabbed his wrist to hold him back, and kept his focus ahead of him. Behind him, Piccolo stammered and Krillin was starting to think something else was really wrong here.

"Dad," Trunks liked to think it was the dirt in his throat that made his voice scratchy. He let go of Goten and winced as the fight continued, with Vegeta on the defensive. He started to gather ki around him instinctively, with pebbles bouncing lightly on the ground.

Piccolo had seen enough moments of Gohan before his rage that he could guess what the child was thinking. "Hold, Trunks." The boy trembled, hands gripped tightly at his sides. He did not hear Piccolo, all he imagined was his father's grunt in agony.

"DAD!" He turned Super Saiyan and blasted off the ground. Piccolo and Krillin drew back as a couple rocks flew up with the force.

"You won't do anything but die too and put him in more pain. Trunks!" Piccolo stared at Goten as he went Super Saiyan and sped after his friend. The Namekian reached out and grabbed the child's arm before he could. "It won't do any good, kid." Despair welled up in his voice, but Goten ignored the warning and yanked free.

The words he yelled next put him in shock. "If big brother was here he'll go!" Then there was only a golden aura trail as the kid disappeared.

Piccolo lowered his trembling hand, and all the pent-up energy and stress deflated from him. Krillin stood behind him and let out a hollow chuckle. "They're kids. Saiyans. I don't think it will be possible to stop them." Piccolo admitted defeat and surveyed the scene. No sign of Gohan, Supreme Kai, Goku. He did spot one adversary he could address, though.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

X_X

Trunks kicked Buu in the face, and in the same movement flipped back around and helped Goten free Vegeta. The Majin skipped once on the ground and then disappeared in the rubble a half mile away. Good. The lavender-haired boy dropped to his knees and started to shake Vegeta's shoulder, careful not to agitate his injuries.

This was wrong. His dad was supposed to be unbeatable.

"Dad. Dad!" He shook harder, leaning over and blinking rapidly. The air was really dry; his eyes were itchy. "C'm, Dad. You have to wake up." He placed his hand on Vegeta's chest and raised his ki higher, hoping his presence alone will wake the older male wake up. "Papa! Please!" His shoulders shook.

Goten was a couple feet back on Vegeta's other side. His brow lowered in worry as he helped try to revive the adult Saiyan. Trunks couldn't hear what his friend was saying, until one sentence broke through the older boy's consciousnesses. "Do you think he's dead?"

"Shut up." he snapped. It was getting difficult to see as the tears broke free. All that mattered though was noticing the minimal rise and fall of his father's chest. "He can't die. He's the Saiyan Prince. Someone like that won't die to a thing like Buu." He lowered his head and tried to jostle him awake one more time.

Vegeta groaned and managed to open his eyes, surprise flickering in them as he saw the two half-Saiyan runts in his immediate vision. "Trunks?"

"Dad!"

"Uncle!"

They happily let Vegeta up as he stumbled to his feet. He was exhausted. Trunks punched his palm and beamed up at his father, tears drying on his face as his ki and Super Saiyan aura danced around him. "We can beat him together now." Vegeta did not return the smile, instead glaring in the distance as Buu's bouncy step came closer. Trunks was accustomed to him not responding with enthusiasm or a return smile, yet the expression made his smile drop a moment later. "Dad?"

"Take care of Bulma, your Mom, Trunks. Promise me."

"Huh?" Trunks was confused. His voice shook. "What do you mean, take care of Mom?"

Vegeta was silent for a couple minutes, watching as Buu came closer, a small form in the distance growing larger. Not much time now. He turned his gaze back to Trunks. "Ever since you were a baby, I never once hugged you." He held up his hand. It was bloody, and his gi was in tatters, but Trunks was lost on not being able to read his father's expression. "Come here."

Trunks shrugged and stepped forward. Vegeta drew his arms around him and pulled him close. It wasn't a warm hug, like Mom's or Grandma's and Grandpa's. It was stiff, and Vegeta's posture was tense as he did not let go. Trunks felt hard muscle and the soft fabric of the tattered gi, and a small smile crossed his face, even as he remained confused. "Heh, stop it. You're embarrassing me."

Goten watched the embrace, lips pinched together. He wished Mom was here to give him a hug, or Gohan, and Dad gave nice hugs from what he could tell with the one he had earlier. Nonetheless, the gesture for his friend warmed his heart.

"Goodbye, Trunks."

"Hm." The boy glanced up at his father but had no time to question it as Vegeta knocked him out.

"Uncle, what was that for?" Goten bristled and ran over to his friend's unconsciousness form. He grabbed Vegeta's leg and pummeled it with his small fists. "That was mean, Uncle! Why did you do that?" Vegeta's face was neutral as he bent down level with Goten and punched him in the stomach. The world blinked around him and he passed out.

The Saiyan Prince met Piccolo's eyes and gave a solemn nod. The Namekian strolled over to pick up the kids, eyes trailed on Vegeta and then Buu in the distance.

Even without the conversation they had, Piccolo knew Vegeta was ready to go out, bringing Majin Buu with him.

X_X

Videl looked out the window. Her mind was distant, and while there was a little chatter on the plane she could not distinguish the words. She sat next to Eighteen, the blonde tossing Roshi to the back of the plane easily. She had no energy to glare at the old pervert. Her emotions were catching up to her, in shock or denial she did not know.

She glanced at Bulma, who was sitting in the front in a worse state. She wanted to get up and comfort the older woman, but she had no idea what she would say. 'Sorry your husband is still a mass murdering maniac?' That would go fantastic. She sighed and pressed her palm to her cheek, squishing her soft skin. Yes, she knew Vegeta was an asshole, and Gohan had shared some of his past, but overall, she trusted the others, and her own judgment, that he was a decent guy.

Then there was Gohan and the kids. Her heart clenched, and all she could think about was saying goodbye to Gohan and letting Goten and Trunks go. She felt more responsible for that than anything. She looked at Chi Chi and then back out the window. "I'm sorry I let them go."

The mother had already chastised her, first in a heated worry and then in sad defeat. It was so different than what she was used to. The people around her, and those who left the tournament to fight, she was used to them being impenetrable, strong. Chi Chi wiped her eyes and stared down at her hands. "It's okay. Goku will take care of them."

At the thought of the former, and dead, world champion, her curious mind wondered if Goku died again will any part of him exist anymore? That was a somber thought that she would not bring into this already despairing mood.

Eighteen suddenly curled her shoulders in and held Marron closer to her. Her chin rested on her daughter's hair. Videl noted with a touch of worry that the young blonde had dry tears on her cheeks, despite now being in a peaceful sleep. The girl was youngest here, barely older than a toddler. Eighteen took some solace in her daughter's presence though. "I shouldn't have let him go."

Videl imagined how Krillin was doing right now; if he was alive. He had to be. While her master had his feelings of inadequacy around his stronger friends, to her Krillin would always be a respected teacher. A nervous wreck sometimes, but steady and reliable. She gripped tightly on the pants of her Turtle School gi, now rumpled and torn from her fight and several hours of flying today.

"He managed to train my stubbornness, and he survived worst before." Survive may be pushing it, knowing that he had died a couple times. And she had no idea how worse this could get. Videl grinned at Eighteen, her muscles strained, forced. However, the return quirk of the lips meant success.

"It's a good thing you ended up not coming up with a wish for the dragon balls, Videl." Bulma spoke from the front. It was the first time she spoke up in the last half hour. They were almost back to Capsule Corp, where Bulma kept the dragon balls secured for the last few months.

Videl nodded in agreement. Finding them with Gohan felt like ages ago. How did Gohan stay so youthful and peaceful after going through stuff like this? How did any of them? She had a heavy heart, even knowing if her father was safe, and from being too scared to check if Erasa and Sharpener survived the blasts. Its okay. They would be alive again soon anyway. She swallowed.

Her eyes shot to the window as a strong ki spiked up at an incredible rate. So much so, that she could detect it over Buu's, which extinguished and exhausted all her sensing abilities prior. Before she could question that, however, the air shook around them and the electronics of the plane failed. On automatic, Videl grabbed her seat and made sure she was strapped in properly. A flash of light caught her eye outside the window prior to their plane spinning in the air.

"Shitshitshit!" Yamcha struggled to keep them up in the air, pulling on the controls and jamming several of the buttons. His concern went with the stunned screams from the others. Videl should do something. She was a hero after all- right? She licked her lips and moved her hands back to her restraints, this time to release them.

The atmosphere settled before she got the chance, and Yamcha managed to get them in a glide. "Can someone get the plane? I'm busy piloting." Now that the immediate disaster had passed- despite heading in for a rough landing at over a hundred miles per hour- he sounded calmer. These people were crazy. She undid her restraints, although there was nothing she could do to help hoist a several ton plane to land.

Eighteen handed Marron to her as she left to do the job. Feeling helpless, Videl walked to the front of the plane to get a better view. There was a jerk as Eighteen worked on lifting the plane, yet they soon smoothed out. There was no sign of what caused the atmospheric disturbance from where they were. She tried to pick up the ki that caused it, or maybe Buu's, yet there was nothing. None that she could detect.

Bulma was silent in her seat next to Videl. The blue-haired genius had her hands clasped over her heart, blue eyes glazed over in shock and a deeper sadness. Videl adjusted her hold on Marron and placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Bulma?"

She was about to snap back but instead lowered her hands and glanced out the window. "Oh, Videl. It's fine. I'm sure its nothing." That was not the tone of someone who believed their words. Not knowing what she was comforting her for, she squeezed her shoulder.

"I hope it's nothing." The words were so quiet, Videl hardly heard it. She swallowed a lungful of air. What else could go wrong today?

* * *

 **A/N** : I could have cut out Vegeta's sacrifice since I hardly change anything from that specific scene and save myself some sanity. I am going to try to incorporate the loss of parents (without being able to do anything) in both Goten's and Trunks' character arcs in this story, so for that reason I went with it. I'm also a masochist and wanted a try writing Trunks' POV for it.

Next chapter will have more original scenes in it, with a couple canon ones that I tweaked a bit.

Another decision I struggled with was on whether or not Videl will stay at the tournament or leave with Gohan, with the knowledge that she was still in it. She could have done more if she stayed, having a decent shot with everyone except Eighteen and the boys. Nonetheless, Videl's character did not agree with me on that point. She's a hero, and she had no reason to think the situation with Buu would be too much for her (before being told the story) and that the tournament would even go on as scheduled. She would not have let Gohan go off alone. With her additional training, she was able to return to the stadium just before Majin Vegeta blew it up though. In the original, it isn't clear if she's back there by then, as next time she's seen is with the others gathering dragon balls.

Although she could have used her wishes back in _Chances_ , I withheld it with her indecisiveness because I knew they would have to use them in the Buu Saga. I'm sneaky, and have the foresight of a finished piece of fiction to know the world is about to end XD.

Review Responses:

 **Assault1337** : Thank you, and don't worry, you haven't missed much time on updates. I finally just got around to posting this in the last week. And greetings and welcomes from North America. It's humbling to see this receive hits internationally, and I'm pleased to deliver a good story :).  
 **insipidscholar917** : Aha! Yay to catching so many new readers. I'm glad you liked how I went with that fight, it was a difficult one to decide for.  
 **ValdieWhittaker123** : No worries! I have a busy schedule as well, one of the reasons this took me so long. Thank you for the patience. Gohan's protectiveness did go up exponentially. I thought it was a nice way to portray the difference of being in the maybe-like-each-other to actually being together at this point of the story compared to the original. Thanks for the reviews.  
 **Anonymous** : That makes sense. With your focus on Videl's improvement, and mine on Spopovitch being an unnatural opponent, we both came up with different outcomes. Despite this difference, I am happy you were able to otherwise enjoy the rest of the chapter. I don't want to create a disconnect with my direction for the readers. Thank you for the feedback and review, much appreciated :).


	4. Goodbyes

**A/N** : Here's the next chapter. I know that my update schedule is inconsistent on how many days between chapters, and I apologize for that. I wanted to get this up sooner; this week wasn't quite midterms, but it was the first week of major tests/papers/projects being due so the couple extra scenes I wanted to add in and the final edit took longer than I thought.

Since Videl searched for the dragon balls in _Chances_ , there was more time in between before Goku caught up with them, and that's where this chapter starts. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer** : Nada, nope! Not mine.

* * *

Videl stood next to Mr. Satan, with her heart caught in her throat. She swallowed and forced it down as she reviewed of her decision to come here. They had wished the people who died at the tournament back, leaving the other wishes for later, and were planning to go to the Lookout for news. At the very least, Dende, with his view of the world, will be clued in on what's going on. The rest of the group had suggested that she come with them. She declined, saying there was more she had to do first.

"Are you sure about this, sweetie?" Hercule asked. They were about to go in for a front of a press conference about what happened, and Videl offered (or rather forced herself) to do it.

The last year had reinforced one thing that she valued for her whole life: honesty. Misunderstandings and skirting around the truth bred fear and mistrust. The world did not know who Cell was, didn't up to this day. Videl understood why the Z Fighters wanted their privacy over their involvement and to protect the world from its darkest corners. However, she also remembered being terrified of the menacing Cell, before the bio android made his announcement for the Cell Games. She was frightened of the unknown of the monster and people disappearing in his wake more so than the tournament and the so-called perfect being that held it.

Videl could not allow the people to be in the dark like that again. She smiled at her father and bowed her head. "I'm sure." She could not fight as well as the others, as much as that damaged her pride, but she was a hero. Videl Satan could reassure the masses, despite how her father and the Z Fighters thought it was a bad idea.

Who knows, they may be right and this will cause a mass panic. Majin Buu could be defeated before he caused a disaster. This whole thing could be pointless. Nonetheless, she had to do something.

The worried crowd teetered on their seats, with several reporters with stiff postures or anxious eyes. There were no hungry eyes that she was used to with the paparazzi; it was unnerving. She believed, as a somewhat happy after thought, that if they were honest now there won't be any more blackmailers.

She ignored the notifications on her phone. One was from Krillin, which sent relief through her that her master was alive. A couple were from Bulma, and one from Chi Chi. She guessed all of them had met up at the Lookout. No matter the initial relief, dread coursed through her veins and she refused to glance at them before she went out to the crowd. None of them were from Gohan. Videl had to keep her resolve to do this, prior to having a reason to break down.

Letting her father answer questions about the tournament, she held back and denied giving any miscellaneous answers to questions directed toward her. A lot of the reporters clung to cheerier and juicier topics, like her new skills and flying at the tournament. She also refused to give names, from principle and out of respect for Bulma and Gohan.

She stayed to these self-imposed rules on what she would and wouldn't say. She knew that much. The young woman could not recall what she said once her father passed the duty for her to speak.

Why was she doing this? She had no news besides the word of another on what Buu even was. That was hardly enough for her detective brain, and she wished to share? This was a bad idea; she should have checked her messages to have a slightest hint of what to say. Videl cast her concerns aside as her voice spoke into the mic. It was soft, and through the haze of her mind she could recount two specific phrases she said in the five-minute briefing.

"Majin Buu is an otherworldly being whose influence had interceded at the World Tournament," and "There are fighters out there who I am confident will resolve the issue, and another miracle could happen and bring back any losses that occur." To her regret, she let Mr. Satan calm the crowd and be thrown to the wolves to state he was one of the fighters, as terrified as he was.

"O-of course!"

Videl's head remained cloudy as she stepped away from the antsy crowd. Hopefully, this was not a mistake. It will not cause a mass panic. She hardly had time to comprehend her recent actions when they were met out back by Son Goku.

The former world champion appeared in top health, no wounds present. Despite this, Videl guessed he was in a major fight as his gi was more tattered than hers. His face was what stopped her in her tracks though. It was drawn with worry, brows creased together and lips pressed into a thin lie. For as little time she had known him, and with every one's stories on the dead fighter, she knew whenever he was visibly stressed or angry it was not a good sign. Her heart stopped. "Go-" She couldn't ask.

Mr. Satan was intent at first to confront the man on what happened; however, her father clamped up, speechless on what to say. Goku smiled at her.

"Hey. Everyone said they want you up at the Lookout. My Instant Transmission can get us there in a second, so I came by to pick you up." He was avoiding lying to her. Videl ran her sweaty hands on her pants. She agreed she would meet everyone again after she was done. There was nothing wrong here.

She nodded to Goku then turned to her father. She took his hand and offered a squeeze. "I'll see you soon, Daddy." There was so much more to say, but her throat refused to deliver more words. It already met the quota for stress-inducing speech today.

X_X

"Goku, what were you thinking?"

Videl did not think she could voice her resentment for possibly not seeing Gohan again to the boy's father. The father-son pair had been through so much, and whatever she said would have came out as shallow on her ears. For this, she had no idea how to process her immediate grief.

Bulma, as it turned out, had no such qualms. His oldest friend stormed up to the Saiyan and grabbed his gi. "Tell me, what were you doing?" The older woman had tears trailing down her face, and it did nothing to lighten up her glare. Videl assumed Goku, or Piccolo and Krillin, had already delivered the news before she arrived, as everyone was distraught, with Bulma and Chi Chi in tears. Bulma scowled and crossed her arms. It seemed she recovered enough to get answers from her friend.

He rubbed the back of his head and took an abashed step back. "Well, I was fighting Vegeta. But then he knocked me out. It was a real sneaky move, honestly." He put his hands up placentally as Bulma continued to glare. Videl could see the gears turning in his head, as he tried to find a way to explain. In the hollow feeling in her stomach, a speck of curiosity was able to form.

"He wanted to do it alone. And you know how he is, nothing would have changed his mind afterward." He placed his hands on Bulma's shoulders and managed a lopsided grin. "There was nothing we could have done. In the end, he went out how he wanted."

She pulled away and rubbed her tears. "You are hopeless at comforting people, Son Goku." She sighed heavily, the tension slowly leaving her shoulders. "You Saiyans are such idiots."

Goku was about to make a comment on them all being gone now, since he was dead, but stopped himself as Bulma walked away in a huff. That was probably for the best. He turned to Chi Chi. The usual cheerful fighter was speechless. He rubbed the back of his head, this time much more self-conscious. "I'm sorry, Chi."

Videl wanted to be with the couple, cry over losing Gohan, but the restlessness in her heart would not allow her to. She internally screamed at the heavens, yet her mouth would not move. Why did her heart not want to express the loss?

Maybe because then she would have to admit that it was real.

Scrubbing her face, she walked to the edge of the Lookout. Dende was several yards away, staring down at the earth, and having no wish to speak to or disrupt the guardian, she turned her trajectory to different spot. Videl sat at the edge and gazed to the direction where she said goodbye.

X_X

Gohan should get going if he was to catch up with his father and the others. As the wind tugged at their clothes, that was on the back of their minds. Videl refused to admit how the flight had already tired her out, since she already conceded to turning back in the first place. Instead, she squeezed Gohan's hands lightly, "You have to play the hero, nerd."

"Heh, heh. I guess." Gohan chuckled weakly and pulled her into a hug. She was surprised, out of the two of them, she was more apt to initiate physical contact. She always had rolled her eyes that her boyfriend would be afraid to break her in half or something equally outrageous. She trusted Gohan and leaned into the embrace. "I-"

She placed a finger on her lips and shook her head. "It's fine, Gohan. Go kick his ass. I'll be here when you return." He grinned, and she leaned forward and kissed him gently. "I'll let everyone in on what's going on. You do you, hero."

She flew back a couple feet and they smiled at each other. The goofy grin on his face imprinted on her mind, before he turned around and sped off to where Kibito was waiting.

"Good luck, Gohan."

X_X

Videl wondered if she had done her goodbye wrong. One, she had already proved a failure for today. While she did tell the boys and everyone else, it amounted to nothing. She glanced behind her. Goku wanted to train the boys until he had to go back to the Other World. She wasn't sure if anything would be enough, yet she admitted she had trouble paying attention when they talked about it.

Did she do anything else wrong? She was worried that Gohan had wanted to say 'I love you,' and Videl did not want that weight on her as he went off to save the world. They never stated it in such clear terms, and she conceded that it would have been best if he got it off his chest. She could have taken that burden if she had known he wouldn't come back.

She was selfish. No news of riots breaking out over her announcement about Majin Buu at the press conference, but that was bound to happen too. As she gazed down on the earth leagues below her, a couple tears dropped from her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she wiped them away. Damn it, Gohan couldn't be dead.

"Uh, Videl." She glanced up to see her master standing there. For a person who died a couple times, Krillin seemed torn up about surviving. It was a tough pill to swallow when they couldn't do anything. She pulled her legs up and turned to sit in front of him. If this was any other day, it would appear like she was ready for whatever the day's training entailed.

"Goku is going to try and teach the boys a fusion technique. If you want to watch it, um, may help."

X_X

Trunks felt numb. His dad was dead- except he was sure that was impossible. No one could beat him. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to contain his emotions with little luck. Goten was having worse luck at it, as his best friend bawled over the loss of his brother next to him. The older boy wished he would shut up. The sound of his friend's tears just cemented the reality even more, and Trunks did not want to acknowledge it.

He sniffed and rubbed his nose. He needed a tissue. What he really needed was for his father to tell him to suck it up. That wouldn't happen though, so a tissue would be nice.

"Snap out of it, you two!" Goku stood over the two, his lips downturned to a frown. "You can deal with the grief later. Right now, you need to help finish what they started to save the world."

The dead Saiyan tried to shepherd them out of the room with the help of Mr. Popo. Through his blurry vision, Trunks managed to glare at the taller male. He grew up with mixed opinions over Son Goku – Kakarot – but even with his father's disdain, it was clear he was worth someone to be claimed as a worthy adversary. He couldn't get the hype, not when Dad and Gohan were dead.

However, it was what his father would have wanted him to do, not waste time on tears, so he followed the older Saiyan anyway.

Once they were a few minutes into training though both boys refused to yield. It didn't help that they had to do that ridiculous fusion dance (Gohan would probably say yes to it), but that was not the reason they shared a look and then crossed their arms as they glared at the Saiyan.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Goku was confused. Most times, with Gohan or the others, they liked listening to his input, for the most part.

"Why should we listen to you?" Trunks spoke up, with Goten nodding beside him. "You weren't there to help Dad or Gohan. What were you doing?"

Goku was stuck with the question again, and he rather not be. He didn't appreciate being knocked out either. He could not lie to the boys, not when he had to get this through to them by the time he left. "I was sort of unconscious the whole time." For whatever reason, he did not want to ruin the kids' impressions – especially Trunks' – of Vegeta and say his rival did it. With Bulma it was easy – because they both knew how the Saiyan Prince could act already – but speaking the truth would likely turn them against him.

Nonetheless, just wow, the lack of context did make the words sound weak on his tongue.

Trunks stared at Goten, and the two focused back on Goku, neither relenting. Goten's lips trembled as he managed to speak up for the first time since he was told Gohan was dead. "You're a coward, Dad."

Piccolo was about to speak up to defend him when Goku interrupted him. "You're right. I should have done better. However, even this coward could help you learn this technique so you can stop Buu." Before he could have the chance to further convince the two, Babadi's voice echoed in the heads of all the denizens of earth.

Then the situation the earth faced went from bad to worse.

X_X

The only thing that made the dead Saiyan tired was going Super Saiyan 3. Also, that fight with Vegeta. That exhausted Goku out, and that was part of the reason why he held back the transformation when the Saiyan Prince wanted an all-out battle. They'll never get the chance to have a fight where the stakes weren't life and death, and that saddened him. He was really looking forward to their fight today. Under different circumstances, he would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it was still a good test of his skills (and patience) fighting his angry rival.

The second reason why he did not go SSJ3 was simply because it tired him out so much. On top of that, it was never this bad. Having a physical body in this plane again was more taxing than he remembered. He could feel his time slipping away as he ascended and his hair grew longer. He did it though. And he did it again when Trunks and Goten begged him to show them.

Nevertheless, whatever lack of trust they had in him seemed to disappear as they stared at him at awe. Piccolo chuckled in amusement when he noticed the change of demeanor in the boys. It switched to concern as he stared at his friend. "Goku, you all right?"

'No, not really,' he mused. He was breathing heavily, and moving his muscles caused them to ache in protest. The last time he felt this way, and not due to injuries from a fight, was when he was dying of heart failure. That was a great train of thought to go down. "I'll be fine. It takes a lot of me, is all. I've only done it in the Other World before." Bonus, the next time he could probably cut the transformation time even more. The practice was making it easier.

"Are you boys ready?" He crossed his arms. He could not pull off a strict atmosphere as much as Vegeta, or Piccolo, or Chi Chi for that matter, but nonetheless the pair snapped to attention. "I don't have much time, so let's get started."

They went unhindered on their training for a bit, until Baba came and told him he only had twenty minutes left. "What? Is there any way I can stay longer? Please?" Dang, those transformations took more out of him than he would admit. As he looked at Trunks and Goten, he hoped he didn't make a mistake not defeating Buu there. His acute ki sensing abilities picked up whenever a new city was wiped out. He was assured that the pink fighter will keep to his curiosity and wait the time allotted before he blew up the planet, and the little ones could fight him.

"I'm sorry, Goku. You should prepare your goodbyes."

X_X

Goten at first did not know what to think of his father. On one hand, he was everything Mom and big brother told him. On the other, he let Uncle and big brother die. By the end of the Goku's time back on earth, the small child had learned to look up to him. One who he wished was in his life longer.

His father was currently saying goodbye to Bulma and his friends, while Goten held back with Chi Chi. If they shared one thing in common, it was that both father and son liked the simple things in life. Goten was not complicated, he liked to be happy, and see others happy around him. Thus, being with his father for half this day had thrown his typical sensibilities into a loop, with all the losses making it worse.

His eyes prickled when he felt tears start to well up. He would not cry. He saw Trunks cry when he was with Vegeta, but now he understood his friend's distaste in showing them. His father was super strong – that much was clear – and he did not want to shed tears in front of him.

"Hey Goten," Goku smiled, having said goodbye to his friends and walking over to his family. Mom had silent tears on her cheeks, yet she handled it like an adult. Goten was clueless what to do. He took a step forward, and then he looked away, abashed.

"Do you want to give your father a hug?" Chi Chi asked, as if she could read his mind. Moms could do that. He nodded, thinking of Vegeta hugging Trunks goodbye. That was nice. Goku quirked his lips up and bent down so he was eye-level with his youngest. Lunging in his father's arms, he clung to his chest desperately. Goten sniffled as Goku rubbed his head comfortably.

"Grow up nice and strong, Goten. I don't want you have to meet me in the Other World soon. You can do this." The seven-year-old nodded.

The older fighter faced Chi Chi, and for far too many times in their marriage, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Chi. I'll make sure to tell Gohan that you guys love him."

"Um," he glanced over at Videl, who met his eyes confidently. She had spent the last couple hours debating in her heart what she was feeling. It was odd, and at first, she attributed it to denial, however she could not convince herself or be upset with Gohan's death. "I'm sure Gohan's alive."

Goku blinked, and Chi Chi had a face crossed with hope and frustration that it could all be for nothing. Videl was confident. Her heart kept steady that such an important part of her life was not suddenly cut out. She placed a hand over her chest and grinned. "I know."

He grinned and placed Goten back down gently. The child stared up at her with confused and pleading eyes. "It'll be great if Gohan was alive." Goku replied, eyes lighting up. Hugging Chi Chi, he turned back to her. "I'll keep hoping. And if not, I'll say hi for you." Videl returned the gesture with a sheepish smile.

The dead Saiyan leaned closer and his eyes flickered briefly over to Krillin. "Don't let him get lazy and look after him. Good luck with your training." He waved and walked over to Baba.

As the two started to fade and rise in the air, Goku raised his hand in a final farewell. "Take care, everyone. See you when you die!"

Her master facepalmed. "Goku…" Krillin laughed feebly at his best friend's strange outlook and optimism.

X_X

Mr. Satan had gone through a lot in his life. Losing his wife, facing Cell, learning the guy that beat Cell was his daughter's boyfriend: all of those shook his life to its core. He remained alive through it all, and if he could he will muster up that Satan charm and luck that did him well so far.

This was a separate thing entirely. Well, it could equate to the Cell part. He had to face Majin Buu because the people of the earth depended on him to. If he was truthful he knew it would do little. He would stay in his secured bunker and see if Videl's new friends can do it.

No, he conceded. That was the coward's way out, and the people needed him to step up. He was a hero, and he needed to act like it. While he was not worrying or calling his daughter to make sure she was all right (she was, up in a place called the Lookout as the mysterious fighters prepared to fight Buu), Hercule was thinking of his own confrontation.

What could he do if the strongest beings on earth needed more time to prepare to even try?

He had no more time to prepare as the security officers and reporters made their retreat outside Buu's home. It was oddly shaped, but otherwise seemed normal. There were rumors it was made of people, yet he took some credence from his daughter's lifestyle (despite his own) and did not believe them at face value. He was the guy that denied ki as tricks for the majority of his life.

Hercule needed to do this. Videl did her part, as the world could at the very least comprehend what was going on with her words, and his daughter had faith in her fighter friends that they would do theirs. His job was to act as a hero, _be_ a hero, for the people of Earth. Most importantly, for his daughter. She had faith in him, even if she would think he was crazy for attempting to approach Buu at his strength.

Blank gaze to where his company fled, he sighed. Maybe it was best that this didn't get televised. All he had to do was face Buu. And then, well, he could die a hero.

He walked up and made a fool of himself. The good part was that Buu was not home. Now, the best thing to do was to- nope, he was clueless.

X_X

" _Does Mr. Buu like video games?"_

…

" _My daughter says I make a mean omelet!"_

" _Mm. Hmm. What's a daughter?"_

" _Um, she- she's like a little me. But a whole lot tougher."_

…

" _Why do you need to make candy out of people?"_

X_X

"I cannot believe it." Piccolo sounded baffled as he stared down at the Earth. Dende was next to him, equally confused. He tapped his staff and tilted his head to the side. The Guardian of Earth spent most of the last day trying to find Gohan, if he was alive. Ever since Videl had mentioned it, Dende searched high and low for his friend. He could not bare to tell her that his ki was not on this planet, and the chances of being alive then were low.

However, that was not what had his and Piccolo's attention at the moment. As a proper guardian, Dende had kept close eyes on the rest of the Buu situation. And he was speechless.

"He became friends with Buu."

The two shared a glance. They were left out to dry on how to comprehend this. Goku had a habit of making friends with his enemies, but this was a whole other level of bizarre. Piccolo was not friends with Goku practically overnight. That was years of begrudged respect and cooperation, and Gohan's influence, that led to that conclusion.

Mr. Satan and Buu were strange.

"What's going on?" Videl walked over to them and handed Dende a water bottle. She was sure that the two were stressed, and even if they didn't eat, she could offer a refresher in water. Dende had the whole earth to worry about, and Piccolo had to wait until Gotenks returned (she was sure it was over a half hour by now).

Piccolo had no idea how to answer her. The months since he met her, he respected her attention to detail and what she did for Gohan. He wasn't attuned to human relationships, yet his old student was happy, and that made his fatherly instincts happy. He could not say he had the same respect for Hercule Satan. He smirked. "Your father thought it would be a good idea to become friends with Buu." Videl clapped her hands to her mouth.

"Is he all right?"

The Namekian nodded. "He's fine." Watching over the Earth, he went on. "All we imagined was to fight him. But your father showed him kindness and deescalated his encounter that way." He shook his head. "I can't see how he did it, but Mr. Satan is a hero. In his own way."

Videl frowned and clasped her hands at her sides. Eyes on the planet below, she muttered softly. "Be careful, Dad."

X_X

Hercule Satan watched as his new friend – Majin Buu of all people – blew his top. Literally. He thought that he had made progress. He was a people person, and he made Buu see the light and not kill people anymore. It was a miracle, and for all his bravado, he had a hard time believing in miracles.

That all went out the window. With the healed pup at his side, he stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Buu-"

He could not go on. The face, that was exuding steam at unnatural rates, turned to glare at him. "RUN!" He stutter-stepped away, grasping his head. "I… can't."

Glancing at his canine companion, they both focused on Buu and then scampered for cover.

He watched in horror as a second Buu formed, his over-realistic brain coming to a dead stop. That…? What happened to his friend? His mind went through sludge as it tried to guess what else could go wrong. He needed to reason with this Buu too, that's all! He was Hercule Satan! It did not matter that this, this version seemed eviler, more malicious.

There was no chance to, as he stood up to confront him, his Buu was beaten back and then eaten. When the new Buu met his eyes, Mr. Satan stood frozen in fear. The creature only laughed maniacally and flew off.

X_X

Meanwhile, before his father joined him, Gohan arrived at the Supreme Kai's world, healed from his injuries and having no idea what was going on. He would do whatever he could to save his planet, as weird as any solutions sounded.

He bent down and tapped the hilt of the sword lightly. It seemed normal. He stared up to Supreme Kai and Kibito. "So, I just have to pull this out?"

* * *

 **A/N** : Woo! This chapter wasn't all over the place as the last one, thankfully. There is a bit of backtracking in the next chapter, as the beginning scenes take place before Mr. Satan's and Buu's friendship and then once Super Buu appears it jumps back ahead. I debated about it and establishing their bromance makes more sense in this chapter as compared to the direction the next chapter takes.

Despite having over a couple hundred episodes for reference, Goku is still one of the harder characters for me to get right. His actions line up with what goes by canon at this point, and I hope I explained what I believe to be his reasoning all right.

And the only Saiyans left on earth at this point are two boys with the combined age of fifteen. Dende have mercy on the planet's souls.

Review Responses:

 **ValdieWhittaker123** : Heh, heh, eh... Yeah, the last chapter was meant to be a rollercoaster :|. I'm happy how it turned out, but darn it all that was rough to write. Thank you! The majority, besides the first chapter, I wrote a couple months after I finished Chances, and it was difficult to get into Videl's head again from where she was at the end of the last story. Good to know I'm still doing a good job at it.  
 **SaiyanPrince541** (for chapter 1): Thanks! The two little tricksters are the best. There are a couple small changes, but the big changes haven't come in yet. I don't know if that's the best course of action, but we'll see! I have fun stuff planned, but the general groundwork for the Buu Saga needs to remain the same beforehand.


	5. Preparation

**A/N** : *coughs* This chapter is up later than I wanted. It's also cut in half. The original was over 9000! (I'm not kidding just to use that meme, it was a really long chapter.) This way it is easier to edit. The second half of this should be up within the day. It's 99% done already.

The first part of this takes place concurrently to the second half of the last one, and then jumps ahead again once Super Buu turns up and from there the rest of the story is pretty straightforward timeline wise.

I realized while writing these chapters that the absurdity of the Buu Saga (that I personally love) is cut back in this story, making it darker than I intended. I know fluff was a big part of _Chances_ , so I feel I should apologize for the lack thereof. I knew this was meant to be a heavier drama than a young adult/coming of age one like _Chances_ , but I've caught myself off guard how many times I wanted to curl in a ball writing this.

So, that warning in chapter three for character deaths? Yeah, times that by- you know what, never mind. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Gohan lost track of how long it had been since he came to the Supreme Kai's World. It could have been hours, it probably was at least that, but he did not think it had yet been a day. He was worried about his family, Videl, and his friends and swinging the Z Sword around in the vast hills and plains to let out some of his frustration. If it was over a day then the frustration will start to turn to anger and desperation. However, he had not reached that point.

Despite his conception of time, he swung the sword around and almost lopped off his father's head as he appeared out of thin air. The teen stumbled back and dropped the blade, with it sinking in the earth with a heavy thud. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

Goku also lurched back, and a second later laughed his shock off. Supreme Kai and Kibito were freaking out over another mortal being here, yet Gohan was comprehending that his father was here. Had twenty-four hours passed already? Was everyone else all right? What happened to Buu?

"Gohan. You are alive!" Goku snapped his fingers in glee and stepped toward his son. "How did you get here?" The two Saiyans ignored the sputtering gods as they shared a brief embrace. Goku was still solid, and Gohan had to remind himself that his father kept his body after he died. He straightened out his thoughts as his logical side started to calm his heart.

"Supreme Kai invited me. What's going on Dad? It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet. How are the others?" No matter how he tried to hide the concern seeping in his voice he was horrible at lying to his parents.

Goku relaxed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, Vegeta and I couldn't beat Buu. I did an exhausting transformation, so that stole my time away. Most of everyone else is all right. Although, cities are starting to be wiped out." His voice was so calm that Gohan felt his fingers twitch in irritation.

"You two couldn't do it? Then who's left to fight off Buu?" A heavy weight loomed over his soldiers. It was not the same as when he practiced with the Z Sword minutes before. No, what he felt was akin to the suffocating responsibility he had when his father stepped aside and left him to fight Cell. It was the impossible odds with the knowledge that he could not fall short, or the world will end.

Goku shuffled back and glanced to the side. "Uh, I did teach the boys a fusion technique before I left." He wanted to shake his father to leave the fate of the world on children, again. All of them were children that weren't equipped for that stress. He wanted to be angry, instead, he set his shoulders back so his posture won't buckle as the imminent weight grew in size. Gohan thought he would have his father's twenty-four hours to prepare and have little worries with him handling it. He shouldn't have expected that luxury.

Supreme Kai and Kibito snapped out of their shock at Goku's presence. Now that they had got an update, however brief, for what was happening on earth through the Saiyans' conversation, they spoke up. "What are you doing here?" Kibito asked, with more authority than surprise that Gohan voiced.

The adult rubbed his hands and grinned. "My time ran out to visit, and I told everyone I will check on Gohan if he was dead, and his ki led me here." Although his posture was abashed, Goku had no trace of regret in his voice.

Supreme Kai stuttered, "You- you sensed him all the way from King Yema's?"

"Yeah! It wasn't hard. Gohan's ki is really strong." Goku smiled, with pride clear in his voice. Gohan's cheeks turned pink.

"Thanks, Dad."

The two other-worlders put it toward Saiyans absurd behavior and skills and left it at that. Supreme Kai raised his hand and glanced at Gohan. "Gohan has been training here since he healed. We're hoping we found a way to beat Buu."

"That's great." Goku placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gave him an assessing glance. "You want to try for a spar, son? Like the old days."

Gohan could have said no, maybe should have. He had no time for a casual spar with his father, not with Buu wreaking havoc. His heart ached at the thought of Videl or the others hurt, or Goten and Trunks left to fend for themselves. His mouth dry; he was about to deny the offer.

Then there was his father's eager smile, and the idea that this could be his last chance. He wasn't planning on losing to Buu and join his father in the afterlife. The little boy in him yearned for this, to enjoy fighting in a way he hadn't since the Cell Games. Plus, Goku could correct and comment on his form. He had pointers a few weeks ago from Piccolo before the tournament, and that was it. His lips quirked up, and he nodded. "Sure thing."

Goku beamed and jumped back. His ki spiked dramatically, and Gohan had to cover his eyes as a bright gold glow surrounded him. When it subsided, his father had a long mane of yellow hair framing an angular face. He almost couldn't believe it was him, expect for when Goku cheered. "Yes! It is a lot easier here, and I dropped the time transforming again."

Gohan was caught up in his father's excitement that he did not ask about the new transformation. He will be able to later. He transformed and dropped into a fighting stance. The older Saiyan nodded in appreciation, noting how Gohan already was stronger from when he last seen him hours earlier.

"Whenever you're ready."

Supreme Kai blinked at them and then stared at his companion. "What about the Z Sword?"

X_X

Videl watched the kids out of the corner of her eye. Goku had left a few hours ago, and Trunks and Goten were just allowed a break from Piccolo. The two were unusually focused, and with the months she knew them, she could not remember the last time they were.

If she was better with children, Videl would have gotten up and comforted them by now. As it was, she doubted she could. Yes, Videl had lost her mother young, and now the two had lost their fathers. Goten had less than a day with Goku, and Trunks needed to cope with a loss that he could barely comprehend. These were simple facts, and she knew both boys (relatively) well at this point. However, she felt how she did ever since they used the dragon balls to wish back the people at the tournament.

Absolutely helpless.

And she despised it.

Throwing down her cards, she buried her face in her hands. Krillin glanced up from his hand and reached out to pet her shoulder. "I know how it feels, Videl." Her frustrations at the moment caused her to forget her master had been through death and back in the past.

"Do you really?" She growled, tugging on the short strands of her hair.

"Trust me," his voice was dark, and then his shoulders deflated. "I've seen the woman I love die in front of me." He glanced at Eighteen. "I've also died twice, been outclassed by my best friend repeatedly until it's not even worth the comparison anymore, and seen a couple planets go to hell, all the while when I couldn't do a thing about any of it."

Videl swallowed the guilt and bitterness in her throat. "Yeah, I suppose you have." She felt small; she was small. So, incredibly, small. "Sorry. I'm… I'm just not used to it."

He rubbed her back. "I get it. I wish I could say you would be safe from it, but once you throw your lot with us it would have happened eventually." Videl gave a dry laugh and picked up her playing cards again.

"It's okay. I wish…" 'Gohan was here.' That would help her cope. However, she chided herself, she would hold herself together for the both of them. "I wish that I could help. I am happy to know what is going on though. It's better than nothing." The knowledge ate away at her stomach almost as much as her helplessness. Nonetheless, she was a being that thrived off answers- and she had them.

Standing up, Videl bid farewell to the others and walked to where Goten and Trunks were going through their stretches. They paused their conversation as she approached. Videl, crossing her arms, stood their heavy gazes down. "You two haven't eaten, and Piccolo hasn't thought of it because he doesn't have to. Let's go eat."

They glanced at each other, and Trunks shrugged. "Already ate." Yeah, Videl was aware. She was also aware that it was hardly 1/8th of what they usually ate. Her lips twitched in an uneasy smile.

"Yeah but Dende showed me where Mr. Popo keeps the desserts. There will be something there that cheers you up."

Trunks appeared as if he would snap back at her yet bit his tongue. Goten's eyes were wide, and the seven-year-old approached her side and grabbed her hand. "Really, big sis?" He sounded tiny. They both were. Videl could handle what inadequacies she had, yet these two had to live up to responsibilities no children should. Even Gohan was older when he beat Cell!

"Yup. Let's find it before Piccolo decides you need to get back to training."

It wasn't much but she got the two to smile. That had to count for something.

X_X

Trunks looked down as Bulma fussed over him. Chi Chi was over by Goten with equal fervor. Both mothers had worry on their faces, and neither were pleased with having their children fight. He couldn't bear to see it. He and Goten had scrapes all over their body from Gotenks fight with Buu. He wished he could say that was what was bothering him as he tried to squirm away.

No, the physical wounds he could deal with. Failure, that hurt.

He remembered once when he spotted his dad staring out the window solemnly. It was late in the evening at the time, and Trunks thought that he would had finished his late-night training and would have gone to bed already.

 _There was no moon, but the dull starlight and last rays of the twilight sun illuminated Vegeta's face. Trunks froze in place, sure that he would get yelled at for sneaking out trying to grab a midnight snack. Grandma had cookies leftover. The Saiyan Prince paid him no mind. He kept his gaze outside, his posture unmoving._

 _Trunks could sneak past, yet he knew his father picked up on his ki. He stepped forward. "Dad?"_

" _Go to bed, Trunks."_

 _The boy flinched at the chilly tone yet reached his side anyway. He stared out the window, chin tilted up so he could do so properly. He did not appear nearly as serious or cool. "What are you thinking about?"_

 _Vegeta did not answer for several seconds. It was fine; a lot of times he never got an answer out of him. Dad was the strong, silent type. Trunks' stomach rumbled, and he was about to walk off in search for the cookies when the older male spoke up._

" _Can I ask you to do something, Trunks?"_

" _Of course!" He clasped his fist excitedly, placing it over his heart._

" _I do not want you to make the same mistakes or failures that I did." He turned to face him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Promise."_

 _Trunks nodded, yet he exclaimed in protest. "But Dad, you're the best. You can't mess up in anything!"_

 _Vegeta smirked at the praise. He crossed his arms and returned his attention out of the window._

" _I never liked Kakarot, but now I can agree with him on one thing. It shouldn't be a shame to have pride in your son. I'm not going to make the mistake in realizing that again."_

Piccolo snapped him out of his thoughts, and the child was back in the present, a fatherless failure. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. The Namekian was lecturing them, with the two mothers glaring at Piccolo, and Goten seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

Trunks kept his eyes downcast, only half listening. When he looked up, his eyes were clear. "It won't happen again." His fist clenched, he stepped forward. "I promise, for Dad. We won't make the same mistakes. We will do it better so they can be proud of us." A lump formed in his throat, but he kept his head held high.

Goten's eyes were wide then he bounced in place. "Yeah!" He moved to stand next to his friend. He was thrumming with energy, and Trunks was thankful for him to be upbeat and emotional one.

His throat was tight as he smirked and crossed his arms. "I guarantee it."

The Namekian warrior approached the two of them and rested his hands on their heads. "They will be proud of you. Goku, Gohan. And Vegeta. You carry their spirits and mission inside you." He pulled back then mended their wounds and clothing. "Take a break. Then we're going straight back to training."

X_X

Gohan landed on the ground, absolutely exhausted. He didn't stand a chance against his father at Super Saiyan 3. Thankfully though, his father was only able to handle it for five minutes, and Gohan used his movements and energy wisely so once Goku tired out he was able to jump and take advantage. He could not say he won the fight, but he held his own.

"That was fun, Gohan." They walked back to Supreme Kai and Kibito. The two were in shock of the Saiyans as they started to hope it may be possible to beat Buu. Goku stopped next to the Z Sword and bent down to pick it up. "So, this is what you used to help train? Wow, it is heavy!"

"Yes, it takes a great warrior to be able to-" Kibito spoke up and cut himself off as Goku lifted it off the ground and gave a testing swing.

The Saiyan huffed and tried again, with this one being more confident. "No wonder you were able to improve your strength so quickly. Will this really help defeat Majin Buu though?"

"That's the idea." Supreme Kai stated.

Goku handed the sword to Gohan. "Let's test it."

"Uh, really Dad? Are you sure that is a good idea?" Gohan was hesitant, yet Supreme Kai was on board.

"I think it's a good idea." A large rock appeared in front of him, and he waited until Gohan's expression changed to a smile. Why not? He gave a swing a nodded.

The sword cut through it like butter. Gohan closed his eyes as grit and pebbles from the debris flew past his head and the two sides dropped next to him.

Goku whistled. The god nodded and held up his hand, a slight twist in his lips. "Next up," a dark grey stone slab appeared over him, "Ketchin. It's the strongest material in the universe. Go big, right?" Gohan braced himself as his father picked it up. Goku brushed his knuckles over it and hummed appreciatively.

"Ready, Gohan?"

"Yeah," He dug his heels into the ground.

The stone flew toward him, and he swung. Unlike previous, there was a moment of tension as the sword strained against the metal. Then, it snapped. Quite literally, as the sword went with it and Gohan was left to dodge to the side as the Ketchin flew over his head and sunk into the ground.

The silence failed to last a second as Supreme Kai and Kibito gasped in shock and despair. Goku was blinking rapidly as he ran over to check the sword in his son's hand. "Wha-what happened?" Supreme Kai collapsed to the ground.

"The Z Sword…" Kibito stuttered.

Gohan was left speechless, with the weight of half the sword remaining heavy in his hand. Goku stood next to him and laughed nervously.

"Hey. Maybe it's not so bad. Maybe what it meant was that training with it will give you the power needed. We already realized how much stronger you were. You feel that way, right Gohan?"

"Yeah, that's true."

"What's all this fuss about?"

They all froze. None of them noticed the broken half of the sword laying the ground vibrating and emitting light until they noticed a much older Kai standing there.

"Who are you?" Supreme Kai asked. His hands raised and pressed together in respect, although his voice was confused.

"I am you, youngin'. Your several generations ancestor."

As the Elder Kai explained his story, Goku cut him off when he explained being trapped in the sword.

"Who did it? Are they strong?" He noted the Saiyan's eager face and deduced in a second that he won't answer that.

"Never mind that. Now, which one of you freed me? The reason I was trapped was because I have abilities that can draw out the latent hidden power someone has."

"That was me," Gohan thought back to Guru and the powerup he got on Namek. "I've had something like that done before in the past as well."

"No!" Elder Kai glared at him. "This is completely different. This will be like nothing you've ever experienced before."

So started Gohan's longest and most patience testing day of his life.

X_X

Piccolo watched in horror, as Dende stood next to him. The Namekians trembled, and Piccolo spun around and yelled at Krillin. "Check on Trunks and Goten and make sure they don't start a fight early. We need a plan."

Dende took the words out of the former monk's mouth, "Wh-what just happened?" Krillin had no idea what the two were on about, yet the fear stemmed from them shook him up.

"He's heading this way. Damn it! This one can pick up on our ki." Piccolo was frustrated over his companion's lack to take immediate action. Videl made her way over to them, her brows furrowed.

"Is it Buu?"

The Namekian nodded, and Videl was suddenly anxious. She ran up and grabbed his cape. "What? What happened to Dad? Is he all right?" She knew she could not intimidate a stronger being who was almost twice her height properly, but she tried anyway. Piccolo snatched the fabric out of her hands, and with care and surprise replied.

"He left him alive. But Buu is coming here. I suspect whatever transformation he went through he's able to pick up on all our ki."

Videl exhaled in relief. That was the one sign that said she was not breaking down, as all the color drained from her face. Clammy hands on her side, she wiped them down on her shirt to try to dry them. Krillin had ran off as soon as he heard the name Buu and called for the others to come outside as he went to check on the kids.

"What's going on Piccolo? You said they can have rest. Is that monster really coming here?" Chi Chi's voice was mixed with anger and worry as she marched up to the Namekian; Bulma and Eighteen were right at her heels.

The tall fighter nodded. "I know. I will try to think of something to stall Buu, but he's coming this way. The best thing to do is if the two of them go into the Time Chamber to get as much training as they can." This did not go over well for the two mothers, but neither relented with no better ideas of their own.

Videl waited with the others near the center of the Lookout as Buu came closer. He was not in sight, but she was able to pick up his ki. It hardly felt bigger as it got closer, being large as it was. Nonetheless, dread and the overwhelming feeling she had whenever she could not fully process a person's ki grew. She hugged herself and gazed up at the sky. Everything was quiet, and a minute later a surge of visible ki appeared with a pink streak in the sky.

It was a different Buu than the one she saw in Babadi's telepathic messages to the world. This one was thinner and had black, soulless eyes as he surveyed the group. She hated that cliché definition, yet that was the one thought as his eyes momentarily met hers. He had the same loose pants with the Majin symbol, had the same blaring pink skin, so it was the same Majin Buu, with whatever powerup his changed appearance gave him.

"A lot of high energies. None of them high enough. Where is the strong guy? That the blonde one promised me."

He was right to the point, something Videl realized Piccolo hated as he stepped forward. He had to buy them as much time as possible. "He's not ready to fight yet. Please wait, it hasn't been the three days."

"I'm impatient. I want to fight now." Buu cracked his neck and observed his surroundings. While Videl glanced herself, she realized Krillin came back outside. Dende and Mr. Popo were absent, likely getting Trunks and Goten ready. She had only heard of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber once through Gohan as he described training with Goku there. She prayed that it will be enough, and Buu will relent for at least a while longer. "I detect not everyone is here. Where is the fighter?"

Piccolo gulped and stepped forward. She never had seen the serious fighter so nervous before. That spiked her worry. "One more day, then they will be ready to fight you."

"No." Buu frowned. "Fight now." The angry scowl caused her to step back. She swallowed her fear. Her dad fought and stayed in the vicinity of Cell, despite deep down recognizing he was useless. Videl would not cower now by being next to Buu.

Everyone glanced at Piccolo as his shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath. Was he giving up? That did not sound right. What he said next was worse. "You said you would kill everyone on the planet while you wait. There's still people alive."

"What the hell, Piccolo?!" Krillin squeaked. There were several complaints of protest, and Videl's heart stopped momentarily. Piccolo had nothing but remorse on his face, thinking the dragon balls will be enough to fix the problem. That won't do anything if the planet was blown up or Dende died, but it was the only thing he could think of to buy precious minutes.

Buu contemplated the decision and then strolled to the edge of the Lookout. It was impossible to read his expression as he studied the world below. They were silent as he made his circuit around. A couple glares were sent Piccolo's way; however, the majority of them were too stunned to speak. The minutes ticked on, and Videl found the thin air up here suffocating. She imagined her father and her friends dying. She thought of Gohan, who she was sure was alive, somewhere. And if it was on earth, he would probably die with everyone else. Her knees shook, yet she locked them in place and refused to show more outer discomfort.

Buu completed his trip around the Lookout. Videl expected him to leave and give them maybe a couple hours to ensure Trunks and Goten were ready. However, he simply raised his hand and ki started to gather all around him, matching his pink hue. A second later, the ki shot out in hundreds of different directions as they descended on the planet.

The group covered their eyes as the light became too intense. Videl wished that would block it out. It didn't. She was not good enough to detect the ki of average humans up in their position, although she could tell the planet was full of them. A presence at the back of her mind that said she was surrounded by a world of others. Second by second, that feeling grew smaller and smaller as individual ki signatures died off. It shrunk, and continued to shrink. Videl could not handle it anymore. She sunk to her knees quietly, arm covering her eyes as the pit in her stomach grew to a blackhole.

A few minutes later, the light died and Buu lowered his hand. All she could pick up was emptiness. She wished she was in too much shock and that's why she felt no one rather than everyone being dead. They stared at Buu in horror. She heard Piccolo mutter an apology and a promise of the dragon balls bringing them back. Videl was hollow as she stood up, squeezing her eyes shut. 'This has to be a dream.'

"I killed all the humans. Where's the strong guy?"

Piccolo treaded up to Buu, and Videl thought Piccolo was tall, yet Buu towered over him. Her fingers traced the goosebumps on her arms as she focused on the two. "Please, he's not ready. You want the best fight possible, right? Give us some more time to prepare."

"No, I want the fight now." Buu growled. "I did what you wanted. Let me fight."

"A half hour, please. That's all he would need."

He narrowed his eyes. "What's a half hour?"

Videl found it easier to breathe, maybe they could prepare. It may not be enough, yet the tautness in her chest lightened. Buu sounded ready to compromise. Piccolo conjured an hourglass and placed it on the ground. "When the sand runs out, the fighter will be ready."

Buu waited a couple seconds and deemed it too slow, knocking it over. "No!"

"Oh, come on!" Videl snapped. The tightness returned to her chest at the single word, and she had to attempt something to get it to leave. "It's only a half hour. You can wait that long!"

Buu glared at her, and she froze in place. What did she just do? Piccolo's eyes flashed, and he pointed toward her. "She's Mr. Satan's daughter! Mr. Satan's daughter is asking you to wait, so you should wait." Videl pressed her lips together in a nervous line and did not avert her eyes as Buu examined her.

The next moment, she was two feet in the air as Buu picked her up. Krillin made a noise of protest, "Hey-" before he could say anything else Eighteen held him back, shaking her head. Videl attempted to not freak out, with her face passive. Inside, she had never felt this small before.

Buu was confused and curious rather than malicious. It was the one thing that kept her from fainting. Then he spoke. "He said she was like a little him. Doesn't look like it. Smells like him, though." He placed her down, and Videl used her ki to keep herself upright in an almost flying position, despite Buu actually placing her down gently. Bulma and Krillin rushed to her side, helping her stay standing as she collected herself. She blinked and accepted their support gratefully. This group was broken, but it was still here, and she was with them.

The Majin continued. "Fine. I will wait a half hour." He adjusted the hourglass again as it started to spill its sand. A collective exhale escaped everyone, and they retreated to see how Goten and Trunks were doing.

Eighteen approached Piccolo. Fury shone in her clear blue eyes. "What about those who died before? You guys told me the Earth's dragon balls only revive people once." Her height difference was not that different from Videl's, but in that moment, it didn't matter as she loomed over the Namekian. Videl saw the strength and terror Eighteen could enact if she wanted, as Krillin and the blonde explained her past a few weeks before the tournament.

Piccolo squared his shoulders and continued walking, not wanting to waste a second. "We can use the Namekian dragon balls to bring the others who have died before. And there's a chance he survived. If that attacked honed in on ki, and he doesn't have any that is detectable, then it is possible."

Videl wondered who they were talking about, as far as she knew all of Eighteen's closest friends were here. Then she recalled that the blonde had a brother that went off on his own after Cell was defeated. She understood how that felt. A sliver of her attached to the belief and denial that maybe Buu would have spared her father.

As if reading her thoughts, Piccolo faced her. "He's alive. He doesn't have a large ki, but I can still sense it. He was alone when Buu wiped out everyone, and none went in his direction. There's a part of him that remembers your father."

Videl covered her mouth and breathed heavily, letting the news cover her like a blanket. Her father was alive. The spark of hope didn't leave her heart, so maybe Gohan was as well. In this circumstance, she could carry on with that knowledge and that others will be brought back by the dragon balls.

* * *

 **A/N** : *nervous chuckle* So, yeah… Buu wiping out everyone is one of the most terrifying and badass things from a bad guy in the show. That's comparing to _Frieza_ , and Cell provoking an eleven-year-old boy to fight him by hurting his friends. I had to keep it in. I feel Videl would react poorly to it, more so than she would have originally because she can sense ki better. As a warning for next chapter, I don't really change around any of the deaths that happen in Buu that much. Gohan has time to reminisce during his powerup… there's that bit of fluff, at least? Otherwise, I apologize in advance. It should be up soon.

A few other random notes on my thought processes here. I thought everyone's reaction was pale to the above-mentioned genocide attack. I attest it to shock, and knowledge about the dragon balls, but a few do have family and friends that aren't on the Lookout, hence Eighteen asking about Seventeen. Piccolo's explanation for it being at least partly honing has always been how I viewed it, since little of the cities or landscape is shown to be destroyed when Mr. Satan wonders what happened later, hinting at least some care went into aiming.

Also, I had no idea what I wanted to do as the last scene on the Lookout before Buu came up, but I was watching the end of the Cell Games Saga, and Vegeta's reaction to Trunks' death, so I included that flashback for Trunks. I'm putting the boys through the ringer, and it'll get worse before it gets better.

Thanks again for everyone's support on this story. It doesn't have many changes that seem important, but I want to thank everyone that is enjoying this regardless to see my take on the last several dozen episodes of Z. Not to get hype up too much, but we're in the second half now, and there is stuff I am greatly looking forward to.

Review Responses:

 **ValdieWhittaker123** : Thank you. And I'm sorry for the sadness :(. And it doesn't show in this chapter since I placed it in the second half, but Gohan already being in a relationship influences how he will act. I'm trying this story in-part to explore how a couple acts and draws strength from each other, even when they can't be together at the present moment. It's different, and I can be better at it, although I'm happy some of it comes through. And I'm glad you like Goku here! There's more of him in the next chapter, and I'm starting to get comfortable writing him.  
 **iMysticalDBZ** : hehehee. Yeah, this is meant to be sequel. Thanks for the review!  
 **SaiyanPrince541** : Thank you for your reviews! Videl's definitely tougher but joining the gang so late in the game how much impact she can have strength wise is small. It was fun, and difficult, to decide what to keep in and out. For Vegeta's sacrifice specifically, I wanted to include his conversation with Piccolo (also Piccolo beating up Babadi) since they have strong parallels in their character arcs, with wanting to kill/being rivals with Goku and then learning to soften up in part due to a young child and that responsibility. I did it from Trunks' POV though, so it made sense for me to cut it when I did. There will be a bit more in memory of the Saiyan Prince though XD. And trust me, I despise Babadi as well, so much. I would have included his death but it was only him and Buu, and I'm saving Buu's POV chapter toward the end. I did not have much to change for that specific scene, as satisfying as it is, so sadly it was cut out.  
It's good to know that you like my take on the Buu Saga so far. I can say I skid off the rails a bit in a couple chapters with going along canon and then jump back on at the end.


	6. Desperation

**A/N** : Nothing new to say for this chapter that I didn't for the last one. If you're just seeing this update then I'll say really quick that this is the second for today. Make sure to read the last chapter or you may be shocked how quickly this turned to extremes.

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

* * *

Goten rubbed his eyes and pulled on his gi, with Trunks getting ready next to him. "So, Majin Buu is here?" His friend confirmed, eyes trained outside the window. Mr. Popo and Dende nodded. Trunks ran toward the door and in the direction of the ki, with Goten right behind.

Mr. Popo managed to grab them before they left the room. "No, you two are not ready. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is prepared for you to go train. Piccolo is buying you time. Trunks twisted out of the hold and hurried away. "I need to see him." Goten heard the anger in his friend's voice and bobbed his head in agreement.

"Big brother is gone, and it's his fault."

Dende guessed the children would want to jump and attack Buu yet trusted their judgement to assess they would be unable to right now. "Okay, but then you should hurry up and train. The Chamber is set to 365:1 day, and we'll grant you what we can."

"What's that mean?" Goten asked Trunks as they snuck closer to where Buu's large ki was.

The older boy shrugged, "I think it means we get one year per day." He paused at a fork in the hallway before taking the right one. "Is it me or does Buu feel stronger?"

Goten puffed up his chest. "We can handle it." His voice was shaky. Trunks was better at the bravado than him. His friend nodded, with Dende and Mr. Popo behind them.

They reached a room that had a view of the Lookout, and the two ran to the window silently. Piccolo and the rest intercepted them, and the former marched up to them angrily. "What are you two doing? We need you in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber immediately. We only have him playing patient for a half hour." Trunks ignored him, and Goten flashed a guilty smile.

"We're sorry, Mr. Piccolo." The two peeked over the edge, where Majin Buu was sitting hunched next to an hourglass. "He does look different." He whispered to Trunks.

"He does. It's not the same Buu that beat Dad, Gohan, and us."

"That's correct. This one is stronger, and you need to-"

"Mom!" Goten's fists curled up as he leaned out the window.

Piccolo cursed and grabbed the back of the kid's gi. "What is she thinking?"

Goten knew what she was doing. It was what she always did when she was angry at someone; she lectured them. A wisp of amusement floated through his brain at the thought of the evil Buu being scolded by his mom. It turned into dismay and then pure rage as Buu turned her into an egg and killed her.

"MOM-!" Piccolo clasped a hand over his mouth and yanked him back. The kid turned Super Saiyan and tried to struggle out of the grasp with no such luck. Biting Piccolo's hand, he was still constrained, putting all his effort in escape. "I'll get him! I'll kill him!" Tears streamed down his face.

"You don't have the strength now! You have to use what time you have to prepare, and then you will be able to avenge everyone's deaths. Goten! Listen to me." Throughout their training and the boy's life knowing the Namekian, Piccolo was never frazzled over anything. He rubbed his cheeks tiredly, still shaking in rage but stopped trying to escape. Piccolo set him down. Goten dropped Super Saiyan and resolved himself.

"Goten," Trunks' eyes were solemn as he watched his friend. The rest were too stunned to say anything. Goten saw big sis from the corner of his eye, hand on her head. He curled up in a ball; he needed a minute. Just a minute. She was equally distraught, but Videl had handled all the stress she could for the last half hour.

Trunks walked up to Bulma, tugging on his mother's hand. Goten continued to cry. He wanted his mom. "Mom, what happened to the people's ki? I can't detect many down below anymore."

The blue-haired genius shook her head sadly. Her son's eyes widened. "What? Even Grandma and Grandpa?" She hugged him close.

"It's fine. You can beat him for us, and you did good getting the Dragon Radar. We'll get them back."

"Come on." Piccolo urged the two boys out of the room. Bulma stood up and jabbed his chest.

"Piccolo, they are _kids_. Give them a minute."

He returned her harsh guise with a fierce one of his own. "We don't have one." He wanted to add that Gohan was just a kid, against the Saiyans, against Frieza. That would be insensitive, and he did not want to think of the loss of his student and pseudo-son right now either. He turned back around to see the two children standing at attention.

Forcing a smile, he nodded to where Dende and Mr. Popo were off to the side. "They will show you where to go. We'll buy you as much time as we can."

X_X

Gohan was anxious. He had to have been at this for a day, at least. They had to be almost done by now. He learned to meditate from Piccolo, but this was pushing his limits. This better be worth it, watching the Elder Kai initiate his powerup while distracted.

It wouldn't hurt to let his mind wander, would it? Piccolo would scoff at him and say it would, but his mentor was worlds away and in danger, and Gohan could not do anything about it. He had to let his mind drift to happier topics, or he would storm off before this was through. There was a mutter of discontent across from him, so Elder Kai likely realized he was not concentrating. Gohan did not care.

His mind first went to his mentor, oldest friend, and second father-figure. Piccolo must think he was dead. His heart clenched. The Namekian spent so long to protect him, and Gohan had left. It was not his fault he could not pass on the news of being alive, with having come to here, but nonetheless.

Last month, while him and Videl visited the Lookout, Piccolo somehow took a leaf out of Chi Chi's and Bulma's book, and shared embarrassing stories from when Gohan first started his training. That was mortifying. Yes, his sense of direction was awful, and he circled the same source of water three times before finding it. In his defense, the recently turned five-year-old had chased dinner the wrong way and ended up lost beforehand. A poor defense, but he was young! His girlfriend, the guardian of the planet, and the teacher that abandoned him in the wilderness had no right to laugh at him. At least Mr. Popo was nice about it.

" _You need to absorb your punches better, brat."_

Now it was Vegeta's voice in his head. Goku told him that Vegeta fought Buu, so he must have snapped out of whatever Majin state Babadi left him in. It was hard to think of the proud Saiyan. It must have been rough. The one-time Gohan ever remembered Vegeta apologizing for something was after he saved the older man from Cell. It had struck him as everything being thrown on the table at that moment, when he had to face Cell down. Now, here he was again. Except this time, he was unable to get to the stubborn warrior. He caught sight of his father when he opened his eyes, with Goku taking a nap with nothing better to do. The two of them never settled whatever it was they had, and Gohan felt for now both dead full-blooded Saiyans. Knowing Vegeta for the last several years and seeing how he adjusted to family life – and stayed to his rigorous training regardless – the two fathers would have learned to get along, if Cell hadn't taken his father's life, and Buu hadn't have taken Vegeta's.

'I'm sorry, Vegeta, that I couldn't hold on until you arrived and be able to help you out. I'll make sure to withstand whatever Buu throws at me.'

Somehow (he blamed Videl) a couple weeks ago when they took a break from training, Gohan was roped into babysitting and going shopping with the moms in the group. The worst part was that Videl talked herself out of it and left him to fend for himself. The afternoon was spent chasing Trunks, Goten, and Marron around the mall and delaying any major property damage while the women shopped. The mothers took no pity on him, and he noticed how even Eighteen was laughing silently at his pain.

That was the type of discomfort he could deal with. Every day stuff, not the stress to save the world after so many years. It wasn't fair, but it was his life, and he wouldn't let anyone down.

A memory pushed itself up above the rest. It was a couple months ago after he and Videl started dating. One thing he learned about his girlfriend was that she had a huge sweet tooth. He planned on having a nice date with her, and with the help of Bulma, got a pass for a tour of a candy factory in West City. It was supposed to be a surprise, but within a couple blocks of the place she knew. She wrapped her arms around him and squealed happily. _"Thank you!"_

They spent the afternoon there. Videl's light azure eyes were laughing with delight the whole afternoon, and he spent most of it staring at her. She was stubborn to not let him feed her any of the chocolates, yet she tossed a few in his direction, either literally or placing a couple in his mouth. That was also the date that exposed them to the public (minus the false alarm the paparazzi had as they searched for the dragon balls). Neither of them had cared, since by then it was inventible and all their friends already knew.

"I can tell you have set your determination." Gohan opened his eyes as the Elder Kai spoke to him. "That's good for you. But you need to focus!" The young adult grumbled and went back to meditating.

" _Clear your mind, Gohan. I know it is busier than your father's, but it's still possible for you to do."_

His friend's words resounded in his head from years past. Gohan scrunched his brows together in frustration.

'Shut up, Mr. Piccolo.'

X_X

Goku was as impatient as his son. He had the freedom to occupy himself and try to focus on the ki that came from his home. He glanced at Supreme Kai and asked, "Say, I can't feel much ki coming from Earth. What happened down there?"

The younger Kai's words were stressed with sadness as he answered. "I cannot either. I fear that Buu has wiped out most of the planet's population, although I do not know how."

"What?" Both Saiyans exclaimed. Gohan was half way to his feet when Elder Kai grunted at him to sit back down. "How about our friends, family?" Goku continued, arms crossed as he tensed his shoulders.

Supreme Kai shrugged helplessly. The older one glanced over from where he sat next to Gohan. "Most of them are okay, on that guardian post your planet has. Except the older black-haired woman who tried to confront Buu."

Within a second of the words coming out, both of them shouted. "Mom's dead?!" "Chi Chi's dead?" Goku stood up, with his ki growing larger each passing second. The last time Gohan had seen his dad this angry was right before he turned Super Saiyan against Frieza.

"So are you, Goku." Supreme Kai replied sadly, his voice not unkind. The Saiyan's shoulders slumped and his energy plummeted. Goku observed his body with slight distaste. Gohan figured that although he confidently gave the reign to protect earth to him and the others; this was the first time his father realized the helplessness of his own death.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll take care of it." He stood up, ignoring the protests from Elder Kai. His mother was dead, and soon everyone else would be. He couldn't sit here. If it wasn't for being in a meditative state for almost the last twenty hours he would be furious. Instead, a heavy resolve settled in his stomach. He stepped away.

"Sit down, kid. You still have at least an hour left." Elder Kai snapped.

Gohan narrowed his eyes. He thought of Videl coping being thrown into this life, of his little brother alone, and all his friends that helped him cope with his own battles over the years. He had to help them. "No, I'm leaving."

"You need to stay or else you won't get the full benefit of this powerup."

"How do I even know that it's real. My little brother and friends are in danger, and I don't feel-" He instinctively powered up, and the protective rage that was ingrained into him jumped into action. A surge of energy overcame him, and he spotted his dad and the others cover their faces as the wind picked up with the force of his ki. That was before his vision momentarily blinked out from the sudden influx. "…any stronger." He trailed off.

Elder Kai smirked at him and gestured in front of him. "Sit down, young man. You're almost done. And I wouldn't doubt what your elders say anymore."

Gohan returned to his meditative stance. Goku, thoroughly impressed with Elder Kai and the sight of Gohan's new powers, turned inquisitive a second later as he tried to pinpoint something.

"Wait, where are the kiddos' ki? I can't pick them either." Gohan's stomach curled.

The older kai hummed. "The green Namekian fellow directed them to a separate room that has different time and space properties from this plane. Here," He conjured up a crystal ball and tossed it to the three watching. "You can watch through here, although it can't view the separate dimensional plain."

Goku, Supreme Kai, and Kibito huddled around the crystal ball at once, eager to see any direct news on the situation with Buu. Goku with greater eagerness and Supreme Kai and Kibito with trepidation.

"How is Videl? Everyone?" Gohan called over, hating the fact he could not check in from his position. He received a hum of annoyance from Elder Kai for that.

"Everyone appears shaken up, but they are all right. Including your girlfriend." Goku teased. His posture remained tense, yet he seemed happier to have a chance to watch and reassure himself on how it was going. "I wonder if King Yema will show me the way to heaven before I go back to King Kai's. See how Chi is doing." He frowned. "Wish this thing could show me how the boys are doing. It can be rough in there."

Elder Kai grumbled and called over. "I'm not a miracle worker. Not by that much. They have no reason to be doing badly."

Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I know, I know, gramps. I'm just wondering how my family is doing, is all." As everyone else gaped and glared at Goku for his loose, informal tone and attitude, Gohan sighed.

'Hold on, everyone. I'm coming soon.'

X_X

Trunks and Goten munched on the food in the Time Chamber. It had been a couple days already, and their fusion ran out for the next half hour. The two decided to take a break and eat before they sparred. That was the cycle that the pair went through. They practiced fusion, trained or ate while they waited to try again. Then they slept. The playful boys became serious and neither had talked much since they came in. Trunks thought that Goten had gone mute, so quiet was his friend compared to his usual self.

When the younger boy spoke, it caught him off guard, and he glanced up from his turkey leg.

"Do you really think we can do this? When big brother and our dads couldn't?"

Trunks wiped his face and nodded. "Yeah!" There was not nearly enough confidence in his voice as he wanted. They had to try. For Dad, Gohan, and everyone else.

"We'll beat up that guy for what he did. We'll get back at him for Dad, Gohan, and Aunt Chi Chi and everybody!" He became surer of himself as he went on.

Goten bounced in his seat and picked at his food. Trunks knew his friend long enough to know that he was still anxious. "Yeah!" He sounded somewhat better. Trunks wasn't the one who typically cheered his friends up, so he had no idea what else to do.

"Do you think big sis is right, and big brother is alive?" Goten stabbed a couple carrots and stuffed them in his mouth.

"I dunno. He would have had trouble surviving Buu's massive attack toward earth, wouldn't he?" That would be cool if the other half-Saiyan was alive.

Goten frowned and rested his cheek on his palm. "Uh huh. I want him to be alive though."

The older boy picked up his dishes and left to dump them. "It'll be all right! Gohan and Aunt Chi Chi can be brought back with the dragon balls, right?"

His friend brightened almost immediately. His eyes stayed solemn, yet he was able to jump up and join him. "That's true! I'll be able to see them again." Trunks felt a surge of envy go through him. From what he knew, his dad couldn't be brought back by the dragon balls, as he died before. He did not notice that he was visibly upset until Goten asked next to him, "You alright, Trunks? You're shaking." Indeed, his hands were clenched and his ki started to rise around him.

The older boy forced himself to calm down and yawned. Their sleeping periods here were not as restful as he was used to in his home; he could blame his mood on that. Then again, Goten was his best friend, and an insightful one at that. "Yeah. I miss Dad, is all."

Goten threw his hands up in the air. "We'll blow Buu in the stomach like Uncle did, for him." He cheered. Trunks grinned.

"You bet!" He paused, as if a light bulb went off over his head, he snuck a glance at his companion. "You know what we should try?"

Goten tilted his head to the side. "What?" Trunks waved his hands over his head like that will provide an answer. Goten beamed and cheered again, apt at reading what his friend's gestures meant.

X_X

Krillin had been through shit in the past; that was well known as all his friends knew he had died. He really did not want to die again. However, he followed Piccolo with due diligence as he led Buu in a large circle to grant the kids precious minutes – hours – to finish their preparations to fight. He thought the Namekian must be made of steel or whichever strong metal to even attempt to take the impatient Buu the indirect way.

The rest of the group followed with morbid curiosity, despite not being able to do anything. Krillin thought he will jump to his friend's aid if Buu snapped. He gulped, remembering what happened to Chi Chi and the rest of the planet. He glanced at his family. Eighteen had a tight grip on Marron's hand, and his daughter was quiet the last half hour. Yes, for them, he will try anything.

They knew Piccolo's backup plan: to destroy the entrance if they failed, essentially trapping Buu inside. That included the boys and the Namekian himself. But they could come back after they used the dragon balls – the Namekian set in Piccolo's case for having died before – and Buu will be trapped forever. Bulma argued over the extremes of it yet dropped it as her practical brain wrestled with the idea of losing her son.

They were all aware of this. After Buu and Piccolo stepped into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, they did not expect in the next second after the door closed that an earthquake would shake the whole Lookout and the door will crumble. Right, Krillin thought, time distortions. Who knew how long they fought in there until they… he swallowed air heavily.

Bulma screamed in protest, and her face paled at losing the rest of her family. Videl tugged on her short hair, eyes squeezed shut.

Almost on cue, they all retreated from the door that marked the end. So many sacrifices. After a few decades, Krillin thought he would be okay with it by now. 'Oh, Goku. I wish you were here. Your positivity would be great right now, let alone your strength.' Little did the former monk know, Goku at this moment shouted in protest as he noticed a small rip in space appear outside the Lookout. Krillin did not see it himself until he stepped outside, and the rest of the Z fighters stopped in their tracks as they gawked at it.

"Um… what's that?" Videl asked. He mustered an answer to his student, as unfulfilling as it was.

"I think that's trouble."

They were unable to move as a pink deformity escaped the bubble and then reformed itself into Majin Buu. They stumbled back as one, and Krillin felt every nerve on his body seize up. The Majin stared at them with his lips pulled in a smile, showing his sharp canines. "I'm hungry."

Krillin had died a couple times in the past. Both times he almost had no warning. Tambourine caught him off guard, and he hardly had a second to think. Then he had a surge of euphoria surviving Frieza until it was crushed as he turned out to be alive and blew him up. A split second prior to each, he knew it. He was going to die. However, those were such short moments compared to the next few he suffered now.

He had time to think 'he's going to eat us,' and 'I wanted to live happily for an extended period for once.' More than that, he wanted them to live happily. Krillin had died before, no big deal. He needed to try, no matter how short, to help his family escape. Eighteen didn't have detectable ki, and Marron was so young. They could hide. He made his decision already. He picked up Marron and put her in Eighteen's arms. "Run. Hide. I'll at least give you a few seconds."

"Krillin, n-" He did not listen to the protest, instead he squeezed his eyes shut and ran at Majin Buu. He raised his fist as he jumped in the air, opening his eyes to meet his opponent's, the owner of which that threatened his family and friends, right as a beam hit him square in the chest and turned him into chocolate.

He prayed to whatever Kai that was listening that he bought his loved ones a moment to escape.

X_X

All the helplessness that gathered inside her over the last day swallowed her whole. Videl was unable to help the people of earth, the boys, Gohan. She had her chance, and she blew it. Her father was able to stall Buu more than she did, and the only credit she had to granting them the better part of a half hour was because of him.

Somewhere, she messed up. This was not a situation she could handle, and the support she gave to those who could handle it was an utter failure. Videl licked her dry lips. No more, she was going down with a fight. 'I'm sorry, Gohan. I hope you're out there somewhere.'

She launched into an attack the second after Krillin did. She would go out with her master. She drew her hand back, a large ki ball forming. "Take this!" She tossed it at him while Buu focused on Krillin. It was bigger than the one she tossed at Spopovitch, though had worse success. She steeled herself as her teacher turned into a chocolate bar. Running toward Buu, she prepared a kick.

The Majin appeared indecisive for a moment, then raised his hand. A small ki blast hit her in the shoulder. A silent scream left her lips. No pain was equal to it, yet it was not a killing blow. Fire surged through her veins, every pore of her body searing in protest. She was tossed backward by the blast, blood seeping down her arm. Videl grabbed her shoulder and glared at Buu. He stepped forward.

"Including Mr. Satan's daughter. Tired, of all of you flies." She refused to look away as he turned the candy beam to her. The last thing she perceived before her consciousness faded was Mr. Popo tossing Dende off the Lookout, and her last thought was her faith that Gohan was out there; that not all of them will die here.

X_X

Up on Supreme Kai's world, Goku scowled and ripped up grass fruitlessly as Buu appeared in front of the others. Supreme Kai and Kibito were still recovering from their shock. The younger Kai stuttered and fell back. "It- it's over. There's no one left."

Gohan, hearing the commotion from those who could watch what was going on, craned his neck to stare over Elder Kai's shoulder. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Buu tore a dimensional rift and was able to break out of the trap your friend Piccolo enacted. The world, universe, is now helpless to Buu."

"What?" Fury edged into his voice and he dug his nails into his palm. "Are we done yet?" He implored to Elder Kai.

"Mm. Not yet, almost." Gohan screamed in frustration.

'Piccolo had patience when he dealt with Buu. And I need to make sure I am at my best to avenge Mom, Videl and everyone. Hopefully, he doesn't blow up the planet so soon after he's done with the others.' He recalled visiting Piccolo before the tournament to spar for his mentor's tips, and chatting after they were done to Dende. He remembered the last night he ate dinner with Mom and Goten, as they talked about having a chance to share a meal with Dad after the tournament.

He heard Videl's giggle while he allowed her to lap him while they did laps at Capsule Corp, with Krillin and Bulma chuckling at the two behind their backs- and still being incredibly obvious about it. Gohan thought of Vegeta, boasting with an honest smile how he will be able to beat Kakarot and take the tournament for himself.

Memories he may not get the chance to share again. Dende may be dead along with the dragon balls, and with his father dead they did not have the ability to teleport across the galaxy to get the Namekian ones. The earth was meant to be destroyed countless times by now. It may all be over for real because he was too late, and he despised it. "Hurry up."

Goku burst into laughter, and the sound jarred him out of his thoughts. Supreme Kai and Kibito were wide eyed as they inched closer to the crystal ball. 'Now what?' Gohan thought.

"I can't believe it! They broke out too, and so did Piccolo! They're all alright!" His father brought his face closer to the ball. "Wait, that's amazing. The kid's mastered the fusion and Super Saiyan 3! I showed it to them once."

Goku was loads happier to see a slimmer of hope in the kids he left behind. He hummed appreciatively and sat crossed-legged as he studied how Gotenks fought. Gohan was left in the dark, yet he felt slightly better to know there was a chance. He may be on time to help, and he will have Piccolo and the boys to figure out what they should do next.

"Huh, that's a neat trick."

"He's really strong!"

"Piccolo doesn't look too happy. And Gotenks' moves are a bit too flashy and childlike, but they sure pack a punch."

"Goku, do you have to keep commenting on the whole fight like that? This is the fate of the universe at stake." Supreme Kai sounded exasperated. He believed that since this whole scenario started at the tournament that it caused more stress than the last time Buu was awake, or Beerus. And the majority of his stress was directed at the Saiyans.

"Sorry. I enjoy seeing a good fight, and it appears as if like they may pull it off if they focus a strong attack in doing it."

"Didn't the young warrior mention he could only hold the form couple minutes when he came out?" Kibito asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it." The Saiyan waved his hand dismissively. "The fusion lasts a half hour, and maybe they trained to the point where they could hold Super Saiyan 3 for longer. I can keep at it for a good long time now, and at first it was only a few minutes." Goku inched closer to the ball, eyes assessing as Gotenks tossed Buu away. "Time is relative, anyway. Whatever that phrase is."

"Why do I feel like that is not the only personal experience you are referring to here?" Supreme Kai muttered under his breath, sitting beside the Saiyan as they watched what was happening on Earth.

It was a short while later as Goku's carefree face shifted to his previous concern. "I don't think they can do it within the fusion's half hour. They won't stand a chance once it ends, unless they can hide for the amount of time until they can try again." He rubbed his neck uneasily. "Maybe I should have stressed the time limit they had."

"You say that now." Supreme Kai replied. He called over to the Elder Kai. "Almost done?"

"Five minutes should do it."

Goku groaned and fell backward.

A minute passed, and Gohan could guess when the boys' fusion dropped as his father started to gnaw on his lip. There was a speck of helplessness in the older Saiyan's eye; one that shook him to his core because it was so unknown to him. Gohan never thought he'll see his father like that. He was the one who usually fell into inadequacy doubts, but he was stuck in the same feeling until this powerup was done.

"Can I go yet?"

Elder Kai lowered his hands. "Oh, yeah, you're done. I thought to wait for the most dramatic moment, you know?" Several paces away, the others fell back. Gohan wanted to scream, but instead he stood up without a word.

He studied at his hands. The deep-seated power was there, out of reach, and sending a wave of calm over him. It was different from being Super Saiyan, where a constant itch of rage tickled the back of his mind. "How do I access it?"

"Hm, what's it called? Transform like you would for Super Saiyan, same general concept."

Gohan closed his eyes, and a similar power he felt earlier swelled inside him, this time significantly larger. He was at ease since he could leave hurry to help his friends. When the atmosphere stilled around him, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his father standing a few paces away. He was the closest to him since his transformation pushed the other-worlders back.

"You're amazing, Gohan."

"Thanks, Dad."

All his heart yearned for a better goodbye, one where he could draw it out. No, he never had the chance: not against Raditz, where he was knocked out while Piccolo had to kill the two Saiyans; not on Namek when he had to flee after Goku turned Super Saiyan; not against Cell, where the brave warrior had to quickly give his life to teleport the exploding bio android away. There was never that proper goodbye. This time was the same. He had to run to save his little brother, Trunks and Piccolo.

The two shared a hug, Gohan gripping his father's gi with all his might. Goku laughed and pounded him on the back after the two ended their embrace. It was at once too short and lasting an eternity. "I'm proud of you, son. Take care of your brother. I'm sorry I can't go with you."

Gohan swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's fine, Dad. I wish we could have spent a happier day together, but I am thankful that I got to see you again." Goku placed his hands on his shoulders and offered a reassuring squeeze.

"Goodbye, son."

He placed a hand on his father's elbow and nodded a farewell. "Later, Dad."

Kibito walked over to the two of them. "I can take you close to the battlefield. All the hope of the Kais go with you." The serious man smiled. "Good luck, Gohan."

"Thank you." On a separate day he would have been intimidated by the pressure. That was in the past. Kibito placed a hand on his shoulder, and as Supreme Kai's world flickered out of existence around him, he grinned at others. "Goodbye."

* * *

 **A/N** : These two chapters were a fun trip *cries*. I decided to get this part as quickly as possible, since it didn't take much to finish, and I wasn't happy where I cut the last chapter off. They would have remained one chapter but my brain would have exploded spending all day editing a 10K word chapter (I can write a chapter over multiple sittings, but I have to edit in one. I'm strange).

I attempted my damnest to have a couple moments of light, melancholic reflection on Gohan's end. I plan it play an important mindset in his fight against Buu. Speaking of, _next chapter is Gohan vs. Buu!_ You guys won't believe how excited I am for it. It's not a common way I see people interpret that fight, and I hope it delivers for anyone who is looking forward to any differences.

Originally, I planned to include Gotenks vs Buu here. As much as I adore the cocky little shit, I couldn't write his personality in a way I was happy with. I did Goku's general reactions instead, since it was a quick way to transition to Gohan being ready to fight, and any time to mock DBZ's "Frieza time" problem with how long things _should_ take is a good time in my book.

The kiddos will still have their moments, no worries.

Next chapter may take a week or more as I sort out the details. Until next time, thank you everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story!

I beat reviewers to updating this quickly, so no more to reply to. Don't worry, any reviews for the last chapter or this one I will reply to in the next chapter! Thank you all for taking the time to, best wishes :).


	7. Ultimate

**A/N** : This is it. With the last update cut in two parts, this is the longest chapter. At first, I wasn't sure where to end it but thought where I did is as good as any.

As for the fight itself… just go with me on this one, please? I'll explain my reasoning at the bottom. It was entertaining to write, at least. I hope some of that enjoyment is conveyed.

Before that, I want to thank everyone who has given support to this story. Whether it is with follows, favorites, reviews, or simply being a silent reader. It means a lot, as I try to convert the craziest and my personal favorite saga into my writing. There are a couple references here to Chances and earlier in this story, but that's not the biggest change I have made for this chapter.

For that… *deep breath* Ehehehe…

Disclaimer: Nada nope!

* * *

When his feet touched the ground and he registered his surroundings, Gohan realized what his father had picked up was true. The planet was empty of most life. He could detect maybe five energy readings. His nails dug into his palm, and he faced the direction Buu was.

"I'm sorry I can't take you any closer."

"It's all right. It should only take a second for me to get over there." He glanced down at his clothes. "Um, Mr. Kibito? Can you give me a new gi? Like my father's, please."

Kibito complied, turning the ceremonial Kai robes he was wearing to an orange and navy gi.

"Thank you!" Gohan tugged on the fabric. "It's nice to get out of that and into something familiar. And to honor my dad." Kibito huffed, as Gohan flew up in the air, waving goodbye.

"We'll be watching from the Other World. Good luck, Son Gohan." He disappeared.

With a burst of speed, Gohan raced off to where he felt his brother's ki. "Hold on Goten, Piccolo, Trunks. I'm coming."

X_X

Miles away, Buu woke up from his nap with a start. None of his opponents took heed, as they froze and locked their gazes to the approaching ki. Piccolo was the first to speak as the ki came closer. "Goku, no, it's-"

"Big brother!" Goten leaped into the air. "Big brother is alive!" Trunks' eyes widened as he joined his friend in the air.

"It is Gohan!"

A second later, Gohan landed in between the three of them and Buu. The two boys rushed the older male, with Piccolo stuck in shock. "Big brother. You're all right."

"Yeah, sorry it took me so long guys. You did good." He ruffled his brother's hair and took a step toward Buu, who watched on with mild curiosity.

"He's real strong." Goten went on, pouting. "Mom, big sis, and everyone is gone!" Goten sniffed and went to follow his brother. Gohan threw up his hand to block him. Fury burned beneath his skin, but over it, he had never felt so in control and calm. It was unnerving.

"It's true!" Trunks added. "We fought him but we ran out of time. You need to be careful, Gohan."

He nodded, his eyes serious as he glared at Buu. Then he spoke quietly, "I got this. I need you three to retreat somewhere safe."

"Gohan," Piccolo started.

The aforementioned teenager glanced over his shoulder and held up a thumbs up for his oldest friend. "It won't be a problem, Mister Piccolo. Thanks for watching the boys." He powered up the rest of the way, approaching Buu slowly. Piccolo blinked, overwhelmed at his student's new power, then snapped at the other two.

"Let's go. Gohan will be fine." Goten and Trunks broke out of their awe before they followed.

"Kick his butt, big brother!"

"Yeah, kill that bastard for everyone, Gohan!"

He did not turn around to look at them. He relaxed though, knowing that they can handle themselves. Plus, Piccolo was there to keep them out of trouble. He stopped in front of Buu, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You're here to fight me?" The pink demon asked.

"No, I'm here to kill you." Buu's smile dropped. Gohan gave him no time to think, firing a blast through Buu's chest. Then, closing his fist, he punched Buu so he was thrown back into the surrounding rocks.

He heard a cheer off in the distance. Gohan had to smile, despite guessing that they had not retreated far enough. Buu pulled himself up and healed the gaping wound in his chest. Panting, he rubbed his side. Irritation flashed in his black eyes. "You got me angry." Buu flared up his ki and charged at him.

Gohan dodged to the side, grabbing Buu's arm. He spun the Majin around, and then tossed him away, being careful to throw him in the opposite direction of Piccolo and the kids. When he let go, he shot off several bursts after him, each stronger than the last.

When he lost to Buu the first time, everyone was alive. Videl, Vegeta, his mom, Bulma, Krillin… everyone. His dad was dead, but he had time to spend with him. Then he was out of commission, and everything went to hell without him able to help. All that was left of the planet was memories. He would not let Buu kill anyone else.

"Gohan!" Piccolo. "Don't lose your head! You have to finish him quickly. Don't let him regenerate to the point where you get tired."

His lips quirked up at the words. This wasn't Cell. He knew how to finish a fight. "Don't worry about it, Piccolo." He replied, not raising his voice above normal with knowledge the Namekian could hear him fine.

He rammed into Buu and kicked him down. A flexible leg snaked around his, trapping him. Gohan charged an attack while his arms were still free. "Kamehame-HA!" He fired the beam at Buu's head. For a split second, the limb that wrapped around him loosened prior to tightening to a stronger hold. The alien was headless and did not relent. Gohan sighed and fired up his ki, dispelling Buu's grip and flying back.

"You sure are durable. I'll give you that." Gohan rubbed his legs, releasing the tautness there.

Buu grew his head back. Thoroughly unamused, he fired ki at Gohan, causing the teen to jump in the air and dodging it no problem. "And you can pack a hit."

They shared a few blows, raising in the air as they did so. Gohan deflected a punch and chopped at Buu's neck. The earth shook below them as each delivered their blows. From the corner of his eye, Gohan spotted Goten and Trunks fall to the ground as they lost their balance. He met Piccolo's eyes and smirked at his mentor.

Buu kneed him in the stomach, and Gohan hooked his foot over Buu's free leg and tripped him in the air, kicking him away and forming a crater as Buu landed. He raised his hands. "Masenko!"

As the fight continued, and Gohan continued to push Buu back, his analytical mind had a minute to judge his chances and temperament. Compared to when he went Super Saiyan 2 against Cell, he was more at ease. When he was fighting the bio android, all his rage came to the surface to such lengths that it leveled out and gave him an outward calm. In this fight, the fury burned beneath his skin, but his mind reached a level of peace where nothing could disrupt it.

He stared down at his body, with the white aura flickering around him. The half-Saiyan grinned and started to form a ball of ki. "I can get used to this."

X_X

Supreme Kai, Goku, Kibito and the Elder Kai huddled around the crystal ball showing the fight. Goku crooned excitedly. "He's doing it."

"Yes, my handiwork is quite good. And the kid has a good head on his shoulders to use it." Elder Kai stated. "Now all he needs to do is finish him off."

"You got this, son!"

X_X

"Is that Gohan?" Krillin watched through King Kai. He had finally got through the impossibly long line at Yema's and now was surrounded by the fighters on Grand Kai's world.

"You're the one that knows the kid." King Kai grumbled, "Yes, that's Son Gohan."

"Woo! Go Gohan!"

X_X

"Kame-" Gohan brought his hands together. He zeroed in on Buu. "This is for the planet, Buu!" The ball grew larger. "Hame-" He sensed his father watching, and the weight of the souls that passed on because of the Majin. "HA!" He fired the beam.

There was nothing left of Buu, yet Gohan felt his ki. He rotated around and saw a wriggling pink mass that separated from the main body a few yards away. It reformed back into the full Buu, and the first thing out of his mouth was a grunt of displeasure. "That hurt." In the split second it took for Gohan to comprehend what was happening, Buu punched him in the face. "I'm glad I made a backup."

Gohan leaned back, wiping his face. "I'll have to ensure all of you is in one place next time." He was unfazed and started to charge another attack.

Buu's laughter cut him off. Gohan paused, uneasy, and let his hands drop at his side. "Backup." Buu chuckled. A pink aura surrounded Buu. As it grew, Gohan spotted an opening to attack, but more than that red flags popped up that said it will be large enough to take out Piccolo and the boys unless he warned him. He cursed, shooting toward cover.

"We need to clear out!" He shouted toward them and dived into a nearby ravine. The others didn't wait, falling in place behind him as Buu disappeared in an intense light.

The blast cleared out a minute later, and the four of them left their cover hesitantly. Gohan's eyes narrowed as he examined the surroundings. "Is Buu gone?" Goten asked.

"No, something like that won't take him out." Gohan answered.

"Gohan, that was amazing! You showed him." Trunks swung his fists and beamed at the older half-Saiyan.

"Thanks, Trunks." Gohan started to pick up on different ki signatures in the area. There weren't many, but…

"The Lookout is gone. We were the only ones who survived. The dragon bal-" Piccolo started.

"Actually," Gohan grinned. "I don't think you guys are the only ones who got out of there. There are a couple energy readings nearby."

Piccolo focused. Then his lips spread into a smile. "That's Dende."

"Yup, and that means we still have dragon balls and we can get everyone back."

Trunks and Goten, who were listening to their conversation, brightened up considerably. "Really, big brother?"

"Mhm." Gohan shot into the air and turned toward where he detected the young guardian's ki. "Let's hurry. I don't know when Buu will show himself again."

While they were flying, Goten drew next to his brother. "You're so much stronger now, big brother! What happened to you?"

Piccolo came up on his other side as Trunks stayed low to study the ground below. "I am curious myself to see how you survived Buu. None of us could pick up your ki."

"After I passed out, Supreme Kai took me to his world."

"What?" Piccolo exclaimed.

"There I was training with this weapon called the Z Sword until Dad joined me. After we sparred for a bit, we found out an older Kai was trapped in the sword." Gohan explained. "Then for the last day or so I've been getting this powerup."

"You saw Dad again, big brother?" Goten asked. Goten was worn out, more than Gohan had ever wanted to see him. Nonetheless, his little brother smiled up at him.

"Yeah. He was able to watch you two fight, and he's proud of you Goten." The child cheered.

Below them, Trunks pointed toward the ground, "Look there!"

Gohan followed his gaze and laughed nervously. "Is that…?"

Piccolo chuckled. "So, he did survive after all."

Trunks flew down to meet the world champ, "Hey, old man! Over here!" Before scooping him up.

X_X

Mr. Satan had a very long few days. Sure, they weren't as drawn out as some. In that time, however, he had won the tournament through a farce, seen the stadium stands be blown up, let his daughter go off on her own, befriended an alien that was destroying the planet, and then losing that friend as, by his estimations, his evil half took over- quite literally. It was more than he could handle.

He spent the last hour wandering the wilderness. The only other sign of life was the pup he and Buu rescued. He was far from human life, and he sought to change that. Walking in the direction he knew the nearest town was in, he passed no one on his way: no farmers heading in with crops, no people on the roads, nobody. He was aware Buu scared or killed the majority before he arrived at his house, but he thought he would spot someone. The world in front of him was lifeless.

His canine companion barked. Hercule returned it with a sigh. "I don't know what happened either."

Pulling out his phone, he stared at it sadly. Throughout these misadventures, he had called Videl to see how his daughter was doing, in the thick of it more than he was.

The first time was shortly after the mysterious halo warrior had taken her away to safety. The honest truth was that it was barely five minutes later. That time he had not gotten a response. He called again in another five minutes with better success.

" _Hey, Daddy."_

 _She sounded exhausted. "Hey, sweetie. How are you."_

 _There were several seconds where she did not answer. He was about to yell at someone for upsetting his little girl when she replied._

" _I'm doing all right. But…" she trailed off. "Everyone thinks that Gohan is dead. I- I don't know what to think."_

 _Those words failed to process. His daughter's sweet, strong boyfriend? He worked his mouth for several seconds. Videl was unusually quiet. She was never a crier, but he thought he had picked something else on her mood. "I'm sorry, Videl dear."_

" _He's alive." She snapped. Then she calmed down. "Sorry. I just… I want to believe it. My heart tells me it's true."_

" _Of course. My girl's intuition is the best. You're safe?"_

" _I am. I should go. I'll see you later, Daddy."_

The next time was after the wizard Babadi telepathed his message, and Buu started to destroy cities. He believed his daughter and allowed her to hold her precautionary press conference, but at the same time, he was in disbelief. That was his coping mechanism for all this crazy ki and extraterrestrial stuff. He was in his bunker preparing how he was going to face Buu.

" _Hey, Daddy." She sounded better. Not cheerful, she was still solemn, but her voice was not devoid of life._

" _I love you sweetie." He said because he could not think of anything else._

" _I love you too." He heard the sad smile in her tone, the catch in her voice._

" _How are you? Are you safe?" He knew she was. He wouldn't let her go with the strange fighters if she wasn't._

" _I am, you?"_

" _Yes," he did not tell her he was thinking of confronting Buu. She would think him mad. He was pretty sure he agreed._

 _There were a few seconds of silence. He did not want to hang up, despite having no words to say. He wanted to hold his girl in his arms and keep this connection active, present._

" _Goku had to return to the afterlife. We're waiting to see if the boys can fight Buu."_

" _That was the blonde that was seen fighting Buu?" Hercule remembered him. It had been over seven years, but it was hard to forget the warrior that fought Cell. More importantly, he remembered seeing the man smiling to his son before he disappeared with whatever Cell was. That stuck with a person, especially another father._

" _Yeah, that's him." He heard shuffling on the other side. "It made me think- well, I, I love you, Daddy. Stay safe."_

That was the last conversation he had with her. Hercule had not called while with Buu. He was afraid talking to her would snap him out of whatever haze he was in that plucked up his courage and made him befriend him. He should have. The last time he called was ten minutes ago. There was no answer.

His thumb hovered over her number, ready to try again. His fingers would not cooperate. He slipped the phone back in his pocket.

He heard a shout in the distance, and a second later he was picked up off the ground and was flying through the air. He won't lie; he screamed. "Sheesh, old man. You're all right." Hercule glanced up and spotted the kid that knocked him out at the tournament.

His pup was being carried by his friend and both children gave him tight smiles. He looked around, ignoring the height and fall he would suffer if he was dropped. Then he spotted Gohan. "You-? Videl told me everyone thought you were dead." He did not put effort to hide the contempt in his voice. Where was the young man if he was alive? He couldn't have known how much Videl worried about him.

Gohan gave him a wane smile. "We'll explain everything once we are all together. There's another person we need to find."

Five minutes later they landed. Trunks placed him down and then the two kids ran to the individual a few paces away. He appeared to be akin to the tall individual that accompanied him, with his pale skin and pointy ears.

"Dende!" The stranger was surrounded by his friends, relief on all their faces. He knew most of Videl's recent friends, some more than others. He couldn't remember this one. The short male focused on his daughter's boyfriend, clasping his hands in intense joy, feeling his pulse to ensure he was alive.

"Gohan! You're all right, thank goodness."

"Yeah, sorry Dende. We sure got you in a pinch giving you this duty years ago."

"Who is he?" Mr. Satan asked Goten when the boy backed up to give his brother and friend time to reunite.

"That's Dende. He's the Guardian of Earth, or Kami."

His eyes bulged. Trunks went on for his friend.

"We were staying at his home, the Lookout. That's where Auntie was too." Hercule tried to ignore the use of past tense there.

"I'm glad you are all right. I'm afraid Buu has gotten nearly everyone on the planet. What happened? Mr. Popo threw me off the Lookout after we thought you three were trapped inside." He nodded to the trio, sans Gohan.

"Yes, what happened?" Mr. Satan took charge. He placed both hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "Where's my Videl? What happened to everyone?"

The group spent the next few minutes catching up on their stories. Well, the rest did. Mr. Satan stood there without much to add besides how the new Buu formed, and the two Namekians (that's what Videl informed him they called themselves) watched the scene from their viewpoint anyway.

That was not what got him up in arms. He marched up to Gohan. "Who do you think you are? You promised you'll be there for her." Then, before common sense could tell him otherwise, he punched the teenager in the face. Gohan lurched back, despite the punch not doing anything to him. Mr. Satan's knuckles hurt, but at least they were not broken.

The rest glared at him. Goten and Trunks ran to his side, tugging on his clothes. "That's not fair, Mister. It wasn't big brother's fault. We were the ones with big sis and everyone, and we couldn't save them." Goten started. Trunks nodded along.

"He's right. If you're going to be angry at anyone for Auntie, it's us." Both boys were dejected yet ready to defend Gohan. Mr. Satan felt his anger dissolve, sadness and frustration in its place.

Gohan made no immediate reactions. After the two came to his defense, he stepped forward and placed a hand on each of their shoulders, pushing them back.

Onyx eyes met his blue ones, and Hercule watched as the boy bowed low. "I'm sorry." His voice was tinged with regret, and the grieving father wanted to shake him and tell him that was not enough. When those dark eyes met his again, all actions froze in his mind. They were pits of immeasurable responsibility, self-hatred, and sadness. Beneath that was a resolve Mr. Satan only saw once before. In the same boy who faced down Cell.

He swallowed. "R-right." He believed the younger male meant it. It wouldn't bring his daughter back.

Gohan stepped back and walked over to Dende. "I will defeat Buu once he shows himself again. Then as long as Dende is all right." He touched his friend's shoulder, "We will have a way to bring Videl and the others back." Mr. Satan gaped at him.

He did not have the chance to ask, as Gohan suddenly became serious again. He looked to the west, where the others zeroed in on as well. Was he missing something here?

"He's coming this way." Gohan murmured. "I don't get it… what's different?" He glanced at his friends. "You guys should hide. I will take care of this."

His dog friend barked, being the next to recognize the change. Trunks grabbed his arm and dragged him away without fanfare. What was going on? Then he felt the ground shake, and heard the whistle in the trees, as something came toward them at high speeds. Another moment and he noticed Buu. He ran off after the others.

X_X

Gohan waited until Buu landed, ready to drop back on the defensive. He had hardly received damage from the fight prior, and he would be ready for whatever surprises delivered. He had to do that for everyone. For his mother, for Videl… his gaze momentarily traveled in the direction Mr. Satan disappeared off to. He had failed to keep her safe. He wouldn't blame the worried father hating him. He hated himself.

He spent enough of his childhood in a state of self-despair. Luckily, Buu did not take advantage with his mind being elsewhere. In fact, the tall pink fighter also had his attention on the others. Gohan's hands curled into fists, and he positioned himself in between them, ready to be their defense if needed.

"You two runts! Come out and fight me." Buu called.

"What?" His voice was echoed by his little brother, who stuck his head out from behind a rock. Trunks popped up next to his friend. The two children were cautious.

Buu motioned with his finger for them to come closer. The two glanced at each other. "Come on, you said you wanted to prove how strong you are." Taken in by the jab, the kids stepped out. Gohan threw his arm up.

"Wait, I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's all right Gohan. We haven't gotten him back yet for Dad and everyone."

"Yeah! Big brother, watch us. We're really strong."

The back of his neck itched with warning, yet Gohan had no idea how to stop them. Piccolo was in the same boat as he was half-willing to drag the two back. Gohan lips flashed to a quick smile. He himself as a child was no where near as troublesome as the younger pair.

His eyes on the two as they performed their fusion; nonetheless, he kept Buu in the corner of his vision. Why was he making this gamble to have more fighters to worry about? Their opponent smirked, unconcerned.

"Fusion-ha!"

Gohan covered his face as the flash temporarily blinded him. He can't say he had ever felt any that strong, bar his father going SSJ3 or Buu himself. He lowered his arms and blinked. Gotenks gave the peace sign, beaming with pride. "Yes! Right into Super Saiyan 3!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

Gohan had no time to register the kid's fusion when Piccolo called out. Gohan faced the direction of his old friend and was stunned to see him swallowed up by some of Buu's bubblegum flesh. Gotenks screamed as he was left to the same fate. Gohan powered up and went on the offensive. "What are you…?"

It was too late. The two blobs that contained his friends and little brother were claimed by Buu. Gohan never saw Cell personally absorb anyone. He could guess this was quicker, though. Buu pushed him back with a ki orb before he could get a chance to form his own.

X_X

Supreme Kai stumbled back, with Goku and the rest staring at him in surprise. The god was trembling and mumbled inaudibly under his breath.

"What, what is it? Buu's ki is getting stronger." Goku commented. His face pressed close to the crystal ball.

"Trouble. Buu takes in fighters to add to his arsenal and power." Supreme Kai rejoined them from where he fell back. "Come on, Gohan."

Goku blew a raspberry is displeasure. "Can't people get stronger on their own?"

"You taught the youngsters the fusion technique, didn't you?" Elder Kai asked. Goku nodded, face passive.

"Yeah, well, it was as a last resort. The kids did not have time otherwise, even if they used all of it in the Time Chamber."

X_X

Gohan studied the new Buu carefully. He could feel the more prominent ki, and the Majin now sported a vest similar to what Gotenks wore. Gohan shifted his feet, preparing to dodge if it was necessary. Behind him, he heard Dende and Mr. Satan freak out.

"Hey, Gohan." The teenager froze. That voice was unmistakable as Buu's, yet it reminded him so much of Piccolo that he had to pause and assess the situation again. Buu tapped his bicep and then his head. "I now have the strength of the brats, and smarts of the Namekian. I believe you will find it harder to take me down."

Gohan returned to his fighting stance. "I beat a monster that claimed to be perfect for taking the lives of others. You won't be a problem."

Buu grinned. It was unnerving how much he sounded like Piccolo. "I'm not Cell, kid." His eyes widened. Buu had no way to know about Cell. Before he had a chance to react, Buu was in front of him and delivered a powerful blow to his stomach.

Landing heavily on the stone ground, Gohan flew into the air as Buu came in for another attack. 'Okay, he _is_ stronger.' He thought of the determined and sad expression of the two boys, Piccolo's smile, and Mr. Satan's eyes that reminded him so much of Videl's when he met up with everyone. His ki shot up and he blasted Buu down as the villain came at him. 'Not strong enough. I'll make sure of it.'

"You guys get somewhere safe!" He yelled to Dende and swiped his foot out to catch Buu's side as he came closer. He heard the two retreat, with the yip and call of the dog behind them. One less thing to worry about. He would not allow this to become an empty planet.

"Focus," Buu grabbed his foot and flung him toward the rocks below. Gohan grunted and flipped in the air.

"Kamehameha!" He fired the beam, taking out his enemy's arm. The Majin was unfazed, staring down at the missing limb.

"You know, Piccolo only had one arm when he killed your father." He regrew his arm with no trouble.

It was like another punch in the stomach. Gohan refined his stance in midair, attempting to not let the words bother him. "How do yo-?"

"Tell me if this is also familiar to you, Gohan." Buu used his regenerated arm to summon a small speck of ki that steadily grew. "Ka… me… ha… me…" He was only using one arm. Gohan's mind whirled until he was stuck in the worst situation of his life, standing against Cell while down an arm. The force of the ki in that broken arena blowing against his face, his dead father's encouragement in his ear.

"No!" He barreled at Buu, with the resolve of that eleven-year-old boy, broken but not defeated. He was in almost a state of complete calm since he had his powerup. However, with Buu's taunting, the rage of a Saiyan once more thrummed through his veins, circling his thoughts.

"Ha!" Buu raised his hand and fired the attack in his face. Gohan's vision momentarily disappeared as fell to the earth.

X_X

"What's going on?" Goku picked up the ball that gave him view of his son. His brows furrowed in concentration and worry, he turned to the Kais. "How does he know this stuff?"

"Put that down!" Elder Kai reprehended. "I want to see."

Supreme Kai wiped his brow and leaned forward. He had not overcome his nerves from seeing Buu absorb someone again. "Buu adapts to the personalities of those he absorbs. I imagine he picks up on their memories as well, but I have never seen it be used strategically."

"Gohan needs to keep a clear head if he wants to win this fight with Buu's increased strength." Kibito commented.

Goku hummed in agreement, setting the crystal ball back down. "You can do it, son. The world's counting on you."

X_X

Gohan's knees hit the dirt prior to his awareness coming back to him. He wanted to strangle Buu. Memories tugged at his mind, happy memories that he fought for. The painful ones, the ones he overcame. He won't let Buu use them to get the best of him.

"Over here, big brother."

Gohan jerked up as he thought he heard Goten's voice. The next second, Buu kicked him in the back. His muscles screamed in protest as he careened into the nearby ravine.

He suppressed his ki while he collected his bearings. Buu wanted him to lose his focus. With Cell, the bio android had provoked him to the point where Gohan wanted to see him suffer, not to finish the job. And his mistake came back to haunt him. He did not win fast enough. No more. He won't allow Buu to get him off track. 'I need to wait for an opening and not get distracted.'

" _You're so strong, big brother!"_

" _Don't let your mother down, dear. I know you have it in you."_

" _You're unbeatable, son."_

His family counted on him. His friends did too.

" _You've grown, kid."_

" _Gohan, you saved me when we were young. There's few people I trust more than you."_

" _Yeah, you're pretty cool, Gohan. But that suit is stupid."_

" _You have to play the hero, nerd… go kick his ass."_

Rubble collapsed around him, and Gohan parried Buu's incoming blow with his arm. His ki flared, and stubborn, relentless energy returned to his limbs.

X_X

Tien paused from his meditation. Over the last few days, it was impossible not to notice Buu's ki (as he learned through Babadi's telepathic message), and the rest of the Z fighters. Vegeta's, Piccolo's, everybody's, even Goku's. He remembered being in awe of seeing his inspiration show up to fight Buu when that was broadcasted to the world. Son Goku never ceased to become stronger.

All of them had disappeared. Not only his friends', but the rest of the planet's ki plummeted and disappeared the same time the ki strikes came from the sky. That had to be Buu. Then it was nothing but silence. He and Chaozu had managed to avoid them, but since then the world had been nothing except a tomb.

His oldest friend floated next to him, with his pale face etched with worry. "There's no one nearby, Tien. Do you think the worst has happened?"

He had no idea the distance, but he picked up on two powerful ki signatures.

Son Gohan and Majin Buu.

He remembered the young boy fighting off Cell, thinking how proud his father must be. The child that grew up to be peaceful but always put his faith and safety on the line to defend others. The last time he had seen any of them was when Videl found him for training.

Both youths had the same desire to protect and stand strong against anything. He remembered thinking that. He also knew that he could learn from them, like he learned from the boy he narrowly defeated in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

He faced Chaozu. His small companion's face saddened. "Tien…"

"I have to go. You continue to see if you can detect anyone else's ki. If I don't return… then I can say I died a warrior."

Chaozu's small hands covered his own, and he felt some ki be transferred over to him. "Stay strong."

Tien nodded and took off in the direction where the two dominant powers were fighting.

X_X

Gohan blocked the hits as they kept on coming. He tried to avoid them, but Buu's flurry of attacks stayed persistent. His arms started to ache at the stress. They would break if this barrage continued. He growled out. "Masenko."

The attack cut across the air as it approached Buu. The Majin disappeared from his position and appeared behind him. Suddenly, his air was cut off as Buu choked him out. "Piccolo told you to pick up on your opponent's ki to attack, didn't he?"

Gohan ground his teeth together. It was hard hearing almost-Piccolo's voice coming from the monster. He dropped his hands from trying to free himself, as if surrendering. Once Buu's loosened grip gave him a second of air, Gohan formed a large ki ball, twisting it around until he could shoot him in the stomach. The maneuver only took a second, granting no time for Buu to recognize what he was doing.

Buu screamed and reared back. Gohan rubbed his neck. Checking his handiwork, the damage was sufficient. Buu had a gaping hole in his stomach, and Gohan started to gather his energy for another blow. One strong one to knock him out of existence. It worked against Cell; it would work on Buu. The Majin smirked and tilted his head back.

"That wasn't nice. That's too strong for me." He returned to Goten's softer, higher pitched voice. Gohan's brow twitched in annoyance. His ki he collected increased in size. "Why do you have to hurt me?"

"Stop it!" The ki dissipated, and he zeroed on Buu with a heated fury. He knew that it wasn't actually Goten. A small part of him shriveled though at the idea that he hurt his brother. Did anyone Buu absorb keep their consciousness? He had no idea if they were dead, _dead_. Was he hurting them? He jammed his elbow at Buu's face, kicking him in the leg. The Majin grabbed his wrist while he healed his stomach.

"You have to play dirty sometimes if you want to win our game, Gohan." Trunks' mischievous smile mocked him on Buu's face. The Majin jerked his wrist, and Gohan heard a crack with detached interest. The pain registered when his back intercepted with the nearest mountain. The world cracked around him, and he was pushed through to the other side.

'Not yet,' He thought. "Kamehameha!" He honed the attack on Buu. As he dodged, the beam redirected itself until it landed on Buu's head. Gohan put all his effort into it, increasing the ki until Buu's head disappeared. That done, Gohan begun another assault, the ki pooling in his hands.

He had to trust that once Buu was gone; the others will come back with the dragon balls. Dende was alive. Namek was out there. He would see his loved ones again. Buu was not them, yet Gohan's heart frayed and reformed its walls every time Buu mocked him.

Gohan was not an idiot. Buu was not unbeatable. If the conversation he heard from his father and the Kais before he left was true then the fusion would drop before long. His goal was to survive until that happened. Buu kept healing from his damage, at a rate that was greater than Cell or Piccolo. He either had to wait until they powered down inside him or get a lucky shot in.

He learned to conserve his energy in the brief fight he had with his father in his Super Saiyan 3 state. That had been one-sided until Goku tired out. Patience. Gohan was one of the most patient fighters in their group. They all were-

"That's it." He muttered to himself.

Time to try to get his lucky shot in. All the fighters he grew up with had a similar weakness. Their stubbornness, pride, and their desire for power, to prove they could be stronger, unbeatable. That had cursed them as much as it had saved their lives. Buu had absorbed Piccolo and the boys, and he already had a thirst of power all of the maniacs he met had before that.

Piccolo had told him Vegeta had provoked Cell into taking his Final Flash. That nearly worked because Cell was made of the same essence and weaknesses of the strongest fighters in the universe. Gohan smiled. A prickle of light formed. "Majin Buu!"

He channeled all his confidence, all his pride, as a fighter and protector in his voice. The Majin paused and crossed him arms. Buu threw his shoulders back like Piccolo did when he thought his student was getting overconfident. Gohan ignored it. "I bet you can't take this attack. My brother will be able to. But you're not him, or Piccolo, or Trunks. You can try to act like them, but you'll never have the same skill and heart to look into this head on!"

Buu smirked. "Try me, kid."

" _Try me, kid." Piccolo stared down at his pupil. The two left the Lookout and were ready to spar. Gohan had just told him Goku was coming home for the tournament. They had light practice sessions the last seven years, a number of relaxing spars, but nothing serious._

 _Piccolo wanted a tougher fight. He wanted to be at their best when the time came. Gohan agreed. A sphere appeared in his hand, swirling in ki as its size became bigger._

And bigger, and bigger. It grew larger than what he had with his fight with Piccolo. He paused in its growth, exhaling all his tension in a deep breath. Buu was stationary, unimpressed. Gohan brought the ball in front of him. He wanted Cell to taste defeat. He wanted Buu to drown in it. He accomplished one, now time to place his hopes on the latter.

"HAA!" He fired the large beam of energy at Buu. He noted the bubblegum being's eyes widen a fraction before it swallowed him whole. Assured it was a direct hit, Gohan screamed and funneled all his power into it.

A minute later, the light faded. He could not see Buu. He spun around and shot at the pink blob that separated and survived from the main body. The lump of rubbery flesh jiggled in the air and lurched upward to avoid it. Then it continued its trajectory and attached to his arm.

The wiggling mass started to expand, and Gohan sunk his nails into it. He channeled his spare ki and fired it into the offending pink blob and his arm, grunting at the pain. However, the part of Buu was gone. Buu was…

"No," Gohan redirected his attention, spinning around once more. An angry Buu floated several yards away. The young fighter cursed. Buu must have used it as a distraction and had another piece of himself as backup somewhere else. Damn it.

"That hurt." Buu scowled. Gohan blinked. Something wasn't right; Buu was not alone. He was flanked by a number of what appeared to be ghost versions of himself.

"What the hell?"

"You can thank Gotenks for this attack." Buu stated. It was the closest to the creature's natural voice since he absorbed his friends. The ghosts circled around him, and Gohan darted higher on the air out of instinct.

"Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack!"

The ghost-Buus lunged. One of them, with Goten's voice, giggled as it wrapped his arms around Gohan's torso. "Hug, big brother." The rest joined in for a group hug. Then they promptly exploded.

X_X

Goku punched the ground. "Damn it! You can't touch them Gohan." His voice deepened. He rested his head on his palm. "Gohan…"

"Looks like you have to join him, Goku."

"What?" The Saiyan averted his eyes from the crystal ball and up to Elder Kai.

"But Goku's dead. He can never go back to the realm of the living." Supreme Kai stated.

He nodded. "Besides, even if I was, I'm not strong enough to help Gohan right now. Buu's power should be dropping due to the fusion ending soon."

Elder Kai rolled his crystal ball closer to him. "Tell me, do you really not want to fight Majin Buu? After everything he did, are you willing to pass on the task like you have so far?"

Goku would admit that it was agony to see all the stuff he couldn't do to help, as a dead man. It was easier with Cell because back then he had done his part. He was never even supposed to be on Earth when Buu came up; it just happened to fall on the same day as the tournament. His decision to stay dead, when for once the threat to his home had not come because of him.

Being sidelined was not worth his whole family and planet dying.

"What do I have to do?"

"Now listen to my plan and don't squander it. I'm making this sacrifice for the good of this entire universe…" the Elder Kai started.

X_X

"You are one of best chances we have, and I know you want another opportunity to fight him." King Yema met his eyes. The Saiyan Prince glared back up at him. "You weren't supposed to keep your body, but I am putting my faith on you."

Vegeta chuckled. "On me, huh? You must be desperate." He grasped the air in front of him, imagining Buu cowering before him. He owed it to his family, and Kakarot and the rest. His pride was slighted being unable to protect what was important to him.

No one was allowed to get away with it.

X_X

Gohan moaned and sank his fingers into the dirt. His whole body was on fire, and he spent the majority of his energy on the blast trying to take out Buu. He heard him laughing above him, and the Gohan forced his eyes open. He worked through worse pain before… he still had this. He dragged his arms into position to push himself up.

"Gohan!" the familiar voice drifted to his ears. He was either really exhausted, or Dende's voice was softer than usual. He turned his head. The young Namekian came to a halt next to him. Above them, Buu stopped laughing, but he refrained from attacking.

That changed when Dende started to heal him. Gohan was recovering his energy when Buu's face morphed into a scowl, ready to take both of them out. "No," the half-Saiyan muttered and tried to force himself to his feet. Not fully healed, but he won't let one of his only friends left die in front of him. He remained on the edge of exhaustion, and he couldn't move quick enough, damn it…

Buu's attack soared closer. Suddenly, it ricocheted off another attack and both landed harmlessly in the distance. The ground shook, and Mr. Satan's screech of terror cut through the air.

"What…?" Gohan sat up, his arms shaking. Dende quickly went back to healing him.

"Gohan, Dende, are you two all right?" Tien jumped from his position on a distant rock to land beside them.

"Tien, you survived!" Relief flooded his voice. Gohan placed a hand on Dende's shoulder in thanks and stood up.

The triclops nodded. "Yeah, Chaozu and I managed to dodge the attack. It's good to see you, Gohan."

"Oh, let's just have all of you come out of the woodwork." Buu's fury reverberated across the landscape. "How about I blow this whole planet up?" He started to gather up his ki, and Gohan prepared himself.

"I need you guys to find Mr. Satan and all of you to get out of here. I'll take care of Buu." Try to. If his guess was correct then Gotenks fusion will be at an end inside him soon. He will buy his friends cover until that point.

Buu waved his finger at him, and he saw so much of the boys in the motion. "I don't think so, Gohan." That was Piccolo but not a Piccolo that Gohan ever knew. It was the Piccolo that was the reincarnation of the Demon King. Gohan growled and moved to the side to buy the others time.

It was a pointless effort. Tien spun around, only to have Buu appear beside him and kick him in the neck. "Knockout." Buu landed lightly on the ground.

"No!"

Gohan swung at Buu, with the Majin catching his fist easily. He tossed him into Dende, and then rose in the air. "Let's finish this." Before he could launch an attack, a whiz of energy sliced through Buu and cut his thought process off.

The upper half of Buu turned around, and Gohan and Dende followed his gaze. In midair behind Buu, was a very much alive Son Goku. Gohan blinked rapidly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. His dad remained, and there was no halo above his head.

"Dad!"

"Hey, son." Goku grinned and lowered to the ground next to him. "I thought I'll bring you backup."

"How?"

Buu cut him off before he could ask the older Saiyan what he was doing alive. The Majin's expression was curious as he landed a few yards away from them. "You're that guy who showed off the transformations." He tilted his head to the side. "You're help will be pointless." His body merged back into itself.

"Nah, I think we got this."

As they were talking, Dende slipped away to heal Tien. Goku went on, holding his hand out to Gohan. "Here, you need to…"

He trailed off when Buu grunted in frustration. The pink monster clung to his head, muttering to himself. "No, a couple minutes more…" Then a barely audible pop went out, and Buu's clothes shifted from Gotenks' to Piccolo's.

Goku laughed and pulled back. "The kiddos fusion ran out! Piccolo's coming out as the strongest now." His tone was cheerful. He met his son's eyes. "I'm sure Gohan can beat you by himself now."

Gohan recalled all his friends, and the state of the planet, and he powered up. "Yeah, I think I got this."

Goku turned Super Saiyan. With his infectious smile, he got in position beside his son. "Together?" Gohan nodded.

X_X

"No!" Elder Kai banged on the crystal ball. "You should use the fusion. You don't want him to get the upper hand."

Kibito Kai lowered himself from his standing position, sitting next to his elder. He was anxious yet attempted to put some cheer in his voice. "They wouldn't want to be stuck like that. It is a last resort." The newly fused god stated.

"That's true. I don't want to having to had died for nothing, though."

X_X

Gohan and Goku railed on Buu, and the Majin did everything to block the successive punches. There was no time for him to try to taunt them with their friends' memories or to get an opening. Gohan smirked and punched Buu in the stomach. Buu retreated and glanced at the ground. He dropped pieces of him earlier, as insurance, and a couple were left. All he needed was an opening.

The younger of the two noted what Buu was doing and fired a ki blast to disintegrate it. The pink blob fizzled out.

"Nice try, Buu." Gohan nailed him into the ground and followed close behind. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

Buu chuckled and wiped a trickle of blood off his face. "Who said I only had one?" He gathered ki in his core and started to expand it out. Gohan jumped back, wary, and prepared a counterattack.

"It's not going to work. Ka-me…"

"Gohan, look ou-!" Goku called down. His voice was drowned out though when Buu unleashed the blast.

The teenager dug his heels into the dirt and dissipated his ki, blocking his face. The heat ripped into his clothes and skin. When it faded, he took a step forward, smoke drifting off his clothes. "I said, I'm going to kill you."

"Uh uh," Buu was using Piccolo's voice again. Gohan clenched his fists. "You didn't listen to what I said. That was not my only one."

"What?"

"Gohan!" Goku was making his best effort to communicate to his kid. "Behind you!"

"Huh?" He turned behind to see a wall of pink swallow him whole. Gohan screamed in frustration and tried to shoot through it, yet it already closed around him. A flash of light came from within and then died down.

"GOHAN!" Goku watched as his son was absorbed by Buu. He transformed to Super Saiyan 3, without even noting that it only took a few seconds, as rage pumped through his system. The new Buu laughed, wearing Gohan's – and his – shirt. His hand lowered to the Potara earring he slipped in his belt. "Damn it, I-"

"Sorry, Dad. I guess I let my guard down." Buu spoke in Gohan's voice. Goku threw an energy ball at him.

"Don't! You have no right to use his voice!" The ground shook as ki flowed through his body. He had no idea what to do now. He returned to life to help Gohan, as his son was in a better position to win. Even with his SSJ3 transformation, Buu as he was now would be impossible for him.

Goku never accepted never without a fight. He teleported behind Buu, "Kamehameha!" The beam shot upward. When it cleared, Buu glared at him, with his clothes frayed, otherwise unharmed. Shit, and that had worked well on Cell.

"Stupid Goku, don't you know to not try the same tricks more than once." Buu rammed his fist in the Saiyan's face, and Goku fell to the ground. The cracked rocks almost buried him as they crumbled around his from.

He swiped the pebbles and rocks away, sitting up with a groan. "This… isn't going well. If only I accepted the gramps' plan."

Dende, Tien, and Mr. Satan. Tien had left to give them room to fight. Dende was not built for fighting, and Mr. Satan…

"This isn't fair!" Goku's ki spiked, scattering the remaining rubble. He was about to retreat to find out where the three left (they were all together, so maybe they were finding a safe place until the fighting was done), when a new ki intercepted his consciousness. His eyes widened in shock. "How? But that's-?" Laughter bubbled up in his chest, and he dropped back to his base form.

"It is!" Goku just caught the biggest break in his life, but the Saiyan Prince would hate it if he told him that. He raised his fingers to his forehead and concentrated. The next second, he vanished.

Buu stared down at where the Saiyan was. "What's he thinking?" None of the four sets of memories inside him could provide an answer. Sometimes, the thought processes of full-blooded Saiyans could not be comprehended.

* * *

 **A/N** : Ehahaha… and Buu proves once again after Cell, regeneration and absorbing people is the most annoying and trolling thing ever for an opponent to do. With Piccolo's brains especially, he will know not to keep all of himself in one spot.

Now, with Buu psychologically screwing with Gohan. It is something I wanted to experiment with for a long time. From what I gather with the information given on Buu, when he first absorbed the Grand Supreme Kai, that changed his disposition to pure chaotic evil to the somewhat playful, food-loving Buu that was the form first revealed to the audience. There's one moment, after he took in Gotenks and Piccolo, where Buu taunts Gohan using Piccolo's teaching, when he shouldn't even know what Piccolo was to Gohan. For this… I took all of it and dialed it up to a hundred. Then that way the fight with the new Buu and Gohan would be more entertaining and give greater differentiation from Perfect Cell, the default villain in DBZ known for absorbing and becoming stronger from others. That was my hope at least. Also, I made Buutenks and Gohan a bit more evenly matched, giving Gohan a few other cool moments (in my mind) as he is the nerd fighter.

Despite all this, much like Videl in her fight, I knew I wouldn't give him the win. There's a couple more changes in the next chapter where Buu's psychological shtick starts to break down, and that wouldn't have happened without Gohan being absorbed. There will be people who dislike that, ultimately, I did not change the outcome of one of Gohan's most cheated fights. I'm sorry. Gohan's impact on the fight does not end here, and most of the last chapter is fluff with him, his family, and Videl.

Mr. Satan's calls to Videl were the most honest and heartfelt in this chapter. I knew I had to include something like that as I established modern technology is present in my stories, compared to only Videl having a cellphone for her police work in the original show. The rest of the chapter was a total blast for me, to be sure, but I will always adore writing family and relationship moments most. Although, it does cause a small inconsistency and continuity error in this story as Hercule thought Gohan was alive when he went to meet Buu, and Videl told him before that everyone thought he was dead. Oops .

Thank you if you have read my ramble, and if you did not, I do not blame you. Whether you care on rambling author's notes or just read the story, thank you everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. I'll do my best to update as soon as possible. Only two chapters left, so I think my goal to be done before Halloween will be reached. Yay!

X

 **ValdieWhittaker123** : Thank you! That's a good analogy to compare to. I love it. The majority of the heavy-hitter moments is out there. There are a couple more, but my goal now is to have fun with it. What I have for the rest of the story so far has me fired up or smiling in glee.


	8. Buu

**A/N** : Update time! I did not expect this to take all week to finish. This is a hit and miss chapter for me; there is stuff here that I love and some parts that are just meh. None of the POVs here I am fully comfortable writing, so it was a fun challenge.

The biggest scene skip happens once it switches to Goku's point-of-view, stopped short of the end of the fight and the first part of the Saiyans inside Buu. Besides that, a couple POV shifts par for the course at this point to take a break from the action.

Thank you everyone who has read and supported this story. I love you all. Enjoy :)

* * *

Tien found an overhang in the nearby cliffs. He stood with Dende and Mr. Satan as they sought cover from Buu. With the Saiyans fighting, however they were doing it, it was not going well. Gohan's ki soon vanished, and Buu's grew. He wished he could do more to help.

"Thanks again," Dende was at his side, looking off in the direction of the fighting. Despite almost being a mile away, the ground and atmosphere itself shook with the intensity.

"Of' course, Dende. I had to help you and Gohan." The triclops smiled slightly at the short guardian.

"Um…" They glanced at Hercule, separated from the two of them by several feet. The world champ chuckled uneasily. "You were one of the ones who were at the Cell Games?"

Even if Tien knew Videl, this was the first time seeing him since the aforementioned tournament. He did not think favorably on him, but he had faith from his own experience that a world champion could straighten out their life. He nodded. "Yes."

Hercule stuttered out a reply. "Well, my daughter has told me to get this out there for you guys. I… I'm sorry."

As Tien bent down to rub the pup behind the ears, all his eyes widened. He would not ask what brought it on suddenly. He remembered when he saw Chaozu die, twice, and all his friends, and his inability to do anything more than stall Cell. He would not dredge up those feelings and loss for someone else.

"Thank you. You have a good kid in her." He enjoyed being around Videl's determination. Seeing it was nice in other humans. He hoped to see her and how her training progressed in the future once the dragon balls were used.

Mr. Satan was about to say something else, when their attention directed away from him. Tien stood up.

"That's Vegeta's ki."

Dende stepped out from the overhang, confusion drawn on his face. "It is. How?" They waited as Goku's ki disappeared momentarily and then appeared next to the Vegeta's.

"That reminds me. What happened with Vegeta? Or Goku for that matter?"

The ground shook, with Buu taking off in the direction of his adversaries. Mr. Satan squeaked and pressed up against the cliff face.

"Goku was back for the tournament. I don't know how he is alive now. Vegeta… he fell under Babadi's spell and then died trying to destroy Buu. I have no idea how he is here either."

Tien sighed and leaned against the wall. "I hate to leave it up to the Saiyans, but there is no choice in the matter. There's too much difference in our powers." He massaged his neck where Buu hit him.

"Saiyans?" Mr. Satan was confused. He was ignored.

They waited in silence for a couple minutes. Minutes that stretched out for eternity for the proud warrior, and Tien crossed his arms, digging his nails into the fabric of his winter gi. He should check on Chaozu and the see if there were any more survivors. He didn't know who else could have survived, but at the very least he wanted to return to his friend.

Dende stumbled back, his eyes widening. Rocks bounced on the ground, and a large rockslide skidded down several yards away. Mr. Satan ducked for cover. The Namekian and Tien were frozen in shock, focus on the fighting out of sight.

Tien could say he hardly ever felt overwhelmed by another person's ki. He finetuned his own to a point where he registered power levels efficiently and acclimated to the feeling so he would not lose his guard. One time it did happen was when Frieza came to Earth and Trunks turned Super Saiyan to defeat him. Then there was Perfect Cell's. Otherwise, he adjusted to them without trouble. When Buu showed up, he already adjusted when he went to confront the Majin.

This new ki floored him. His grip loosened on his arms, and he lowered them to his sides. His shoulders tensed up, and Tien had his mouth open in shock. If he was asked, he could say it was Saiyan, but that was it.

"That's Goku and Vegeta. What did they do?" Dende asked. He trembled and wished he could be in a position where he could see the fight. He became accustomed to being able to watch what was going on with the planet he was tasked with.

"Yeah…" Tien could get no more words out. Despite his misgivings of leaving fate up to them, he allowed a bit of comfort at how unmatched Buu felt now. "I should go. Chaozu would be waiting for me, and I won't do any more here." He hovered in the air and raised his fingers in farewell to Dende. "Take care of yourself. You too, Mr. Satan."

Dende waited a couple minutes for Tien to fly off. He was probably expected to stay safe and not die. The dragon balls, and hence everyone's chance to return to life, counted on him. It was easy to forget with his guardianship of the planet that, like Gohan, Videl and the boys, he was young and prone to reckless decisions.

A child that made a wish under Frieza's nose, or within his first week on Earth watched his best friend face down Cell from afar. He owed it to himself to see what was going on, what Goku and Vegeta were doing. Toward Mr. Satan, he stated plainly. "Let's go watch the fight."

"What?!"

X_X

Buu watched the new fighter as the Saiyan did his warmups. Common sense, curtesy of Piccolo, told him he should attack, not let him get his bearings. His curiosity, however, this time from the Saiyans said he should wait, wanting to see what came of this. The two separated were boring, so Buu would appreciate a tougher challenge.

The fused Saiyan glanced at him, smirking. Red flags went off in his head; he knew he should dodge. As much as he willed his body to, he was frozen in place. What was going on?

"Hiya!" The kiai shout cut into his side, and Buu winced. He healed over the wound with a sigh.

"It seems you have received quite the powerup," Buu crossed his arms. "You'll still be no match for me."

"This is nothing. I'm just warming up." The Saiyan then went back to promptly ignoring him. "Let's see. I'm neither Vegeta or Kakarot…" He clasped his fist. "Vegito, then." He grinned and kicked the air. "Yes, this works."

"Don't ignore me!" Buu yelled.

The cheerfulness in Vegito's expression disappeared in an instant. The next, he was right next to him and punched him hard in the stomach. Buu gagged and clung to his sides. "Don't." Vegito growled in his ear. "Think you could use Piccolo's voice like that. It's unbecoming." Before he had a chance to retort that wasn't what he was doing, the Saiyan rammed his elbow into his neck, and Buu shot toward the earth.

When Buu got up, surprise mixed with trepidation as he licked his lips. Blood. He scowled and glared up at his adversary. "That was a lucky shot."

Vegito shook his head. "No, it wasn't, Trunks."

"I'm not-"

Buu, again, did not have time to finish. He was on the defensive as Vegito appeared beside him – was he using instant transmission or was he really that fast? – and barraged him with an offensive. For a split second, he was unable to move, and then it was too late as he had to repeatedly bring up his arms and knees to guard from the kicks. Vegito had his arms crossed, face nothing but casual. They traveled through two mountains before Buu screamed.

"What? Do you think this is a game?" He rose his fist and punched at the Saiyan's face. Vegito leaned back to dodge it and tripped him in the air, kicking him toward the ground.

"Now, I _can_ see Piccolo saying that." His tone was thoughtful. Buu never heard something so annoying in his life.

He blamed his stress, but accessing the memories and voices on demand was harder. Nonetheless, in a strained voice he gasped out. "No, this is the game. Dad." Vegito had a guise of curiosity as he used Gotenks' voice. Buu used the opening to create three ghost versions of himself.

The fused Saiyan sighed. "Really, you're trying this, boys?"

Buu yearned to shout that it was his move now, and that the idiot could acknowledge him, and not his absorbed counterparts, yet chose not to waste his breath.

"Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack!"

The ghosts flew at him. Vegito raised his hand and tossed a couple ki blasts. Two exploded, but one guarded the third. The survivor flew up and sent a beam toward his chest. "Kamehameha!" Goten's voice called out.

Vegito backhanded it into the mountain and then raised his other hand. A grin spread across his face. Energy surged forward, wiping out the final ghost and heading straight for Buu. The Majin raised both arms and braced himself, the heat searing his flesh.

He opened his eyes, shocked to see the Saiyan right in front of him again. Vegito's dark eyes burned with anger, and he nailed him into the ground. "Children's attacks. You can do better than that." Dirt stuck inside his mouth, and the Majin spit it out angrily.

Buu hovered in the air. "That. Didn't hurt." His natural voice came through.

"Really?" Vegito raised a brow. "That's not what your bottom half says. At least, it would. If it was still there." Sure enough, his legs and half his stomach had disappeared. He closed his eyes and grew it back.

"That's it. You think you're a hot shot. Let's see how you handle this." Buu rose higher. He started to grow a ki sphere, increasing its size exponentially. "This is enough energy to wipe out the entire planet."

The fused warrior below him yawned. "I don't think you absorbed Frieza or Cell. What's up?"

Buu shook in rage. Piccolo's memories in particular flashed through the times that the planet faced a similar fate in the past. That did not calm his mind in the least. As his furry grew, Buu was unable to access the calm Namekian's essence. Brought back to the present, he shouted. "They're not the only ones who could. They failed, and this won't, unless you feel you can block it."

"Don't worry. I won't move an inch." Vegito enunciated each word slowly, digging his heels into the ground.

Buu grew the orb more, and was about to toss it at the smug ass when his body froze up. Regret burned his thoughts; this was not how it was supposed to end. He was supposed to fight, to- "Stop it," Buu growled. He willed his muscles to move, yet they refused to cooperate with his body. 30 seconds passed, and Vegito swiped his hand over his bangs and crossed his arms. "What's the matter? You _did_ take something from Frieza, didn't you?"

He grunted and tossed the gigantic sphere down. While it careened toward the earth, Buu stared at his arm in confusion. He tested his muscles, and they all moved accordingly.

"Dodge!"

Buu snapped back to the present, and he backed up as the orb that was supposed to be destroying the earth was knocked back into the stratosphere. The ball exploded and the beams of light rained down.

"You don't want to be taken out by your own attack. Else you would be Frieza." Vegito was stretching his muscles, watching him from the corner of his eye.

"That's annoying. Stop that." Buu powered up, electricity sparking in the atmosphere as his ki rose. "I'm Majin Buu, and anyone I use is in the benefit to me. I am the strongest in the universe!"

Vegito popped in front of him, and Buu did not have the opportunity to retreat. The Saiyan grabbed his throat and squeezed hard.

"No, you are not. You are not Frieza, or Cell, or Piccolo, or Gohan, or Trunks, or Goten. You are correct to say you are only Buu, but you have no right to try to use my friends for your ends. And you are not," His grip tightened. "The strongest in the universe." Vegito started to power up, and a golden aura surrounded him. It cut into Buu, tearing into his skin and caused the Majin to spasm in pain.

When the light faded out, the Super Saiyan glared at him with teal eyes. "I am Super Vegito. And I'm the strongest in the universe." He let go and Buu gasped, taking a couple seconds to gather himself before he could stop his freefall.

X_X

Kibito Kai attempted to see over the Elder Kai's shoulder to view what was happening. It would be easier if the older god would stop trying to hog his crystal ball, like he complained Goku did when the fighter was here. "You can sit down here, you know, and be able to keep up fine."

With a heavy sigh, he complied and the Elder Kai placed the crystal ball down. The older god's expression was pensive as he watched Vegito fight Buu.

"What is it?"

"He could probably defeat Majin Buu quickly with no problem. I can't see why he isn't doing it."

Kibito Kai observed through the small ball and shrugged. "I'm not sure."

An old wrinkled hand slapped the device. "Well, he should hurry up before that arrogance makes room for a mistake."

The fused god hummed noncommittedly "…I'm sure it will be okay." There was silence for a couple seconds, the lone sound being from the sound of the fight with a faint echo within their viewing device. Then he spoke up, thoughtfulness and dread in his tone. "So, this fusion is permanent?"

"Mhm. As far as I can tell with gods."

Another sigh.

X_X

Buu could not remember a time where he was this frustrated. Nothing appeared to faze the Saiyan warrior as the blonde started to pummel into him. There were memories of those who he absorbed that recalled moments of severe frustration and helplessness. They were not ones he could relate to or use: Piccolo saving Gohan, or Gohan's helplessness against Cell. A passion deep in those moments long passed, and the Majin could not hold them without feeling burned. The best he could work with was the boys' desires to prove themselves.

One memory came up, of Goten training with his brother for the tournament. The joy that came from it in contrast to his current rage jarred and blocked out his senses, with his movements becoming slow and sluggish. Buu attempted to cancel out the incoming missile from Vegito, yet his muscles shook with the effort. Waves crashed below him as he had to flip back around in midair to not be lost in the depths.

He was unable to concentrate to get the upper hand himself. He could not even bring up the uncertainties of his adversary. With Gohan, it was simple. In Piccolo's memories specifically, he knew the young half-Saiyan had problems with holding up to the responsibility and the expectations to be able to protect his loved ones.

Meanwhile, Vegito was the combination of two Saiyans that did not like to show their weaknesses in front of anyone. On top of that, the fused warrior did not relate to his two halves in a way that was helpful. He was neither nor, and Buu was sick of it. Vegito was the picture of self-assurance, and with the unknown variable of being a new person entirely, Buu could not do anything to change that.

Buu shot back up into the air. The Saiyan taunted him and beckoned him closer. Buu blasted him, and his opponent batted it away easily.

Two sets of cold eyes locked gazes, and while Vegito smirked in amusement, Buu fumed. "Why can't you sit back and die!" He shouted in his natural voice. The Majin continued with a righteous fury. "Are you afraid that you won't be able to finish me, and that you were too late to save all your friends?" He cocked his head back and laughed. "You know they hate you for it. Strongest in the universe, huh? Where were you when this planet had people on it, and there was something to actually save."

He opened his mouth to continue but was cut off. A ki blade shot from Vegito's hand and drilled him through the mouth. "Shut up." Vegito replied. No discontent showed on his voice or expression, but Buu took it as his win anyway. That was until the Saiyan mused out loud. "I know what I'm doing to help avenge them. I would question what you are doing if I was you. There is no consensus in your movements." Vegito removed his blade and appeared behind him, flipping the Majin back toward the ground.

"You're relying too much on your mind games and reading the past of others. When you should concentrate in this moment." The blonde held up his fist, and when he opened it a small ball of ki radiated energy. "I know my goals, and my motives. That way I can focus on destroying you." He brought down the energy and collected more in both hands.

Buu had no time to register the attack before it wiped out his head.

X_X

Videl looked up at the sky, or whatever the equivalent was in heaven. Flowers bloomed around her, and it was what she imagined a good afterlife will be. Peaceful. Nonetheless, she wished she had the ability to meld that to her state of mind. While she said and did have faith that Gohan was alive, that did not stop her from worrying about him. Because if he was not dead, then he was probably in trouble and trying to be a hero.

That's what the nerd did, and she loved him for it. Now, though, she could understand those romantic stories Erasa told her about maidens waiting for a soldier to come home. It was agonizing. Instead of her heart beating in her ears, her spiritual body instead had a murmur that was a constant through her entire being.

She plucked a flower and tore the petals. Not as a wish, not to have him come back to her (she wouldn't want to wish him dead), not to wonder if he remembered her, but as a simple way to preoccupy her thoughts. Then she twisted the stem and braided it through her fingers.

"Miss Videl?" She glanced up to see Dabura float over to her. The demon seemed happy for someone who was sent here because hell would have been too much of home. She was still baffled at the thought. She lowered her hands and idly pulled up a second flower.

"What is it?" Maybe the atmosphere helped her more than she thought as her voice came out calm. Or maybe she was a good actor.

"I was wondering what was bothering you. Surely you keep faith that Gohan is alive."

She stalled answering the question and redirected the focus to her companion. "You seem to be good at reading people, despite being formerly evil."

The large spirit stopped at her side. "You should not underestimate people because their morals are wrong. The demon realm has it so you have to be able to read a person and a situation and take advantage of that. So, what's bothering you?"

She growled and let the point slide. She ripped into the flower and tossed the petals to the nonexistent wind. "You're right. I'm used to dealing with stupid criminals." Videl tugged on her short locks. "I thought I will come to terms with myself and my death. But I'm just as useless. And Gohan's out there, and I can't help him or anyone."

"I kept my loyalty to Babadi at expense of not trusting Buu. That ended with me being dead. However, everyone here is such a pure individual. You have a strong loyalty to others but you need to find that in yourself."

Videl snorted. "If you saw me a year ago you'll see how that would have sounded crazy." She closed her eyes. "But I've always hated letting others down."

"Do you think that you've down everything you could?"

She did not answer, instead letting the silence encircle her rattled spirit.

X_X

Fingers pressed between Buu's shoulders, and the Majin froze. He thought that the ghosts will have had better luck this time. The Saiyan's voice could shatter ice as he spoke behind him. "What did I say? Kids tricks won't work on me." Vegito pulled his hand back and turned his palm up to him. "If you want to do some damage, try something like this." The heat singed his back, and Buu had no chance to turn around. "Big Bang Attack!"

The pain was quick, and it took him a second to realize that all he could register was his head. The world blurred in front of him, and Buu jerked back, slowly regenerating his body. "That wasn't a nice thing to say. We worked hard on that, Dad." He slipped into the boys' voices again. For a split second prior, the words caught in his throat. An image materialized in him of the two children teasing Gohan on his flashy maneuvers as Saiyaman a few weeks before the tournament, with Piccolo facepalming in the background. His veins throbbed and he shook it off. It was not the time to become distracted with his mind continuously searching for areas to exploit.

Vegito smiled and the warm expression caught the bubblegum alien off-guard. "We'll work on it later then." His face switched back to serious. "But there's something that stole your bodies and minds first." Buu gasped while several hits sunk into his torso before the Saiyan hooked his feet around his head and launched him back into the nearest mountain.

The Majin coughed and dug himself up, clinging to his side. "You… damn you." He concentrated, putting his fingers to his brow. "Take this. Special Beam Cannon!" Vegito teleported behind him and grabbed his arm.

"That may have killed Kakarot, but as you told him," The Saiyan punched him in the spine. "Some tricks only work once." He let go and drifted back a couple feet. Buu rotated around to face him.

He was at the end of his rope. He did not know what else to try. But if he shared anything with his opponents, which he had before he parasited off of them, it was the desire not to yield. He was Majin Buu, one of the most adaptable and destructive beings ever. He would not fail.

It was time to stop relying on the powers gained from opponents and go back to his own skillset. Vegito floated a few feet away, amused with himself and awaited a chance to counter. Buu's lips curled to a cruel smile. 'Counter this.' "How do you feel about coffee candy?"

Vegito blinked in confusion and then shock "N-"

X_X

Krillin and Yamcha, who had joined his short friend, stumbled back away from King Kai. "I-I…" Krillin stuttered.

Yamcha grabbed a fistful of his hair. "That was the same thing that got us. How? Why?" They gawked, neither able to form proper sentences.

They did not notice the Kai, who was in utter disbelief, as he continued to observe the fight. They refocused on him as the Kai's antennae rose. "I don't know what's going on anymore."

X_X

Goku hoped that this was the right decision. The two of them made the risk to be absorbed for the chance to rescue their sons and Piccolo. They had to be able to rescue them, or this would have been pointless.

He was an optimistic man, and Goku was able to find amusement in all places. He quickened his pace and matched step with Vegeta, who did his best to ignore him. "You're really afraid of worms, aren't you?"

The Saiyan Prince grumbled in protest, pausing long enough to throw his elbow back into the taller male's stomach. "Shut up, Kakarot. I'll still murder you once all this is done with."

"Mm, no you won't!" Goku responded confidently. He paused and flicked the moisture from the ground off his boots.

"Whatever," Vegeta responded. "You are nothing but a nuisance in my side."

Goku took the jab in stride. He let him keep the lead as he looked around. The stench was wretched. He wrinkled his nose, "I think this place has made me lose my appetite." Vegeta snorted.

"Your distaste is noted and ignored, Kakarot. Now shut up and help me find where they are." He glanced over his shoulder.

"Trying to be friendly and lighten the mood." Vegeta already faced forward, but he caught his rival's smile anyway. Win for Son Goku. He had no idea how the fusion would work, but they did great! And he could finally say that he understood where Vegeta's pride and desire on how he wished to protect others came from. Not that he had not guessed before, yet they never quite saw the world equally before now.

"Which way?" Goku was surprised that the older Saiyan asked him and pointed down one side.

"That way."

Vegeta chuckled and walked in the opposite direction. "Then I'll take this route."

"What? Vegeta, that's mean." He stuck his tongue out and stalked away.

"It's called covering more ground, dumbass!"

Vegeta was soon out of sight, and Goku was left to his own thoughts. He studied his alive body and tapped his heart. After this, he could go home with Gohan and Goten and get Chi Chi back with the dragon balls. There was little time to comprehend that fact while fighting, but the reality was there. He was alive.

He stared at the fleshy wall, one that separated him from where Vegeta went off to. The halo was present for the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta had everything on the line, yet nothing he could physically return to. Goku grinned. "Thanks for the help. I'll see you can get home with the Namekian dragon balls." He followed the path, branching away from where they separated. "You still are frustrating to work with." He wiped the perspiration of the hot atmosphere off his face. 'I'm glad you came.'

Plus, maybe they could finally have a fight where they did not literally try to kill each other. Now that will be fun.

He could sense Gohan nearby, but since they were inside Buu, it was impossible to tell where. Goku thought to use his Instant Transmission, but he could not concentrate on it with the all-encompassing Buu around him. That was infuriating since in the past he was able to teleport himself and Cell away in a quick decision. He scratched his head as he continued searching. He had not really practiced the skill in the last seven years and did he hate the thought of being rusty on something.

A swish of a cape around the corner caught his attention, and the Saiyan immediately perked up. "Piccolo!" Something did not feel right, yet he rushed forward anyway. He turned around the corner and stopped to see the Namekian standing there. Except his expression was blank, he was almost see-through, and Goku sensed absolutely none of his friend's ki.

"Goku," It was definitely Piccolo's voice, and not through Buu, but he had no time for the Majin's mind games. Literal, in this case.

"Sorry, I have to go. If you can point me to where you actually are, that will be great." He strolled passed with no problem.

"Were you honest when you said you wouldn't be able to beat Buu in his earlier form? Did you leave us to fail?"

His foot an inch from touching the ground, he sighed. "I don't have to be honest with you. But for Piccolo's sake," he grinned over his shoulder. "I think it was _possible_ , to be sure. I wanted to give the kids a chance. We won't be around forever." He continued forward. "But it's also unfair to have them handle everything, and I'll be around for a while to help."

That was all Goku expected from the projected image of his friend. However, a sharp jab in his back proved the opposite. He closed his eyes and reached behind him, grasping the Namekian's arm. "I don't want to delay, and I want to find you, so I'll keep this quick." He swung him into the wall. "Remember, I don't think this is a game."

X_X

Vegeta blocked the kid's attacks, his body aching. He should really give Kakarot more credit because being dead with a physical body was a different thing altogether than being alive. His stamina did not drain him nearly as much, but the pain was delayed to being numb, and it was hard to judge his limits.

As someone who was born to surpass them that only served as an annoyance, and he was not near as clear-headed as he wished to be.

Gotenks brought his leg up to kick him, and Vegeta used his additional height to jump out of reach and returned the blow. Vegeta brought his hands up. "Since I know you aren't Gotenks, I can go all out." Worry flashed on the child's face, reminding him of the two boys who looked up to him. The hesitation lasted a single moment.

"That trick won't work on me. You'll find my sympathy lacking for imposters." Vegeta growled. "Galick Gun!"

Once he was sure his path was cleared, he turned away.

"No! You can't leave. You're not allowed to leave anymore!" He wavered, and the projection reformed itself. He scowled at the desperation conveyed, yet he was unable to defend himself. Before he could get his bearings, the wall next to him popped and Kakarot landed heavily in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Vegeta. I'm going to try this again." The idiot Saiyan grabbed his arm and concentrated. "I caught a spike from Gohan a moment ago…" He had little chance to ask what he meant – spotting Piccolo and Gotenks ready for an attack – before his rival teleported them away.

When they reappeared, it looked like they remained inside Buu. "Where did you take us?" He yanked out of the grip and glanced around. His frustrated tone disappeared as he spotted Trunks and the others inside muscle pods.

He went over to Trunks, reaching up to his son's face before he paused. He clenched his fist and glared at Kakarot. "Let's hurry and get them out of here."

Goku ignored him, too busy checking on his own kids. "Gohan!" Vegeta did a double take when he saw the oldest half-Saiyan. Compared to the rest, he was only half contained. The upper half of the left side of his torso and part of his shoulder was exposed. A faint outline of ki surrounded him, and Gohan appeared to be in deep meditation.

"Hey Gohan. Gohan. Hey, son." Goku slapped his face lightly. The Saiyan Prince muttered incomprehensibly and then called over.

"Don't worry about waking them up now." He checked the boys and Piccolo. "They're all alright. Let's go, Kakarot."

The other Saiyan jumped up and pressed his hand to the restraints on his oldest son. He was contemplative as his hand warmed with ki. "Come to think of it, I saw Gohan ready his ki like he was about to attack before he got absorbed. He must have been just short to survive it completely like we did."

Vegeta finished cutting Trunks free as he moved over to Goten. The younger Saiyan moved to Piccolo as their surroundings started to spasm in pain. Vegeta's brow furrowed in frustration as he blasted the other child free.

"I don't think we'll go unnoticed for long." Kakarot commented.

"Obviously. We should-"

He was cut off as the floor rolled. The ground was already uneven, and the additional movement caused the two to fall back. Laughter bounced within their confined surroundings, and they clutched their heads as Buu formed from the ground.

"I knew something was wrong." The Majin tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed. "What's this? You've gone back to two people." Buu's expression shifted to one of intense glee.

"Yeah, we-"

"Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled at him and fired in the Majin's direction.

"I was just going to say we don't need it to beat him." The idiot Saiyan continued, shooting his own attack.

Buu disappeared back into the ground. "Are you sure about that?" Multiple shots came from all directions, and the two redirected them toward the walls.

"We need to make sure they stay safe and get out. We can't win in here." Vegeta bent down to check on their friends and caught a blast in midair. His hand stung, and refusing to acknowledge it, he screamed and fired it back with his own. A hole formed on the far side and healed over easily by the irate Majin.

He stopped Piccolo from rolling away and checked over the rest. Gohan was still half-free, but whatever effort he put to disrupt Buu used all his reserves, for the light around him faded as soon as he was cut loose. Trunks and Goten bumped into each other and stayed relatively in the same place. A relieved sigh escaped him as he returned to his feet.

Kakarot stood guard with a casual smile, blocking and redirecting hits as they came in. "Right. You know that to do that we should work together."

Vegeta kept his back to him, yet he could not hide the amusement in his voice. "As long as you don't mess it up, you blithering fool."

"Wouldn't dream of it, 'Geets."

"Shut it, Kakarot."

* * *

 **A/N** : As difficult as this chapter was to try to get right, this was fun. And I want to say that Vegito is an arrogant asshole and I absolutely adore him for it (yay A alliteration). His fight with Buu is one of my favorites, so I didn't change too much around with it, with mainly using the time to get inside Buu's head.

I will explain in the next chapter how what happened with Gohan inside Buu. It may have been a mistake of me to cut it out here, but I thought any kind of exposition dump will break the flow. Since Buu had no idea what was going on it would have been weird for him to address it. I'm hyped for that conversation coming up because it's a sweet moment for both father and son ^^.

Speaking of, next chapter is the last one. Should be up soon, with maybe 70-80% of it completed already (unsure how many more scenes I'll add). I wrap up Buu and all the misc. notes for the Chances AU finished. Prepare for… fluff.

Have a great one, and thanks again everyone for the support.

X

 **ValdieWhittaker123** : Thanks! Gohan is a joy to write for when he's at his best. I'm glad Buu comes off with a good amount of annoyance, heh. I'll never have the same strengths of Toriyama, Toei, etc. for conveying the story, especially with some of the action and humor, so I have to focus on my own strengths and get what I think are adorable and/or heart wrenching little human moments.  
 **Guest** : Your English is fine, no worries. And fair enough. I did say in my first author's note that some scenes I put in will remain unchanged. Scenes with the Saiyans with Vegeta's sacrifice and Goku's goodbye kept verbatim, using some iconic lines and dialogue, and I follow the same storyline. However, the number of scenes that are new or completely changed, like the majority with Videl (having known the Z Fighters for months in this story and having experience in ki), or Trunks flashback remembering Vegeta, or the majority of the choreography of the Buu vs. Gohan fight and other moments, I am proud of myself for. If I had not written this one-shot series I would be happy to post those as separate entities, and they'll be solid and original on their own.  
I don't blame you if you think this is a waste of time, especially if you expected something drastically different. Unfortunately, there's not much more I change from this point. Over half the last chapter is original fluff, but nothing more drastic to pull that I have not done already. Thank you for reading this far and for the kind words on writing it correctly. I can name a number of typos that I'll have to fix in the future. I'm happy that it is not completely unreadable. Sometimes I make myself cringe xD.  
 **Look what Jesus did** : Heh, heh. Yeah. It is preposterous, isn't it? I don't have much defense for this story or the original besides Gohan being caught off guard. My guess is that if he would have blasted a hole in it, it would have regrown and finished the job too quickly *shrug*. Thanks for the review!


	9. Spirit

**A/N** : We reach the end. Thank you everyone for the support on this story.

The first section of the chapter handles my interpretations of the world's Spirit Bomb, and the rest is fluff central. Half of the chapter's events are in relatively quick succession of each other timeline wise. When they make a wish on the dragon balls, each scene afterward takes place at least a couple months apart from each other.

* * *

Tossed like a ragdoll, Vegeta landed heavy on his side. He heard Kakarot's sound of concern and pushed himself up to glare at his rival. The next second, he fired into the ground to throw himself to the side as Kid Buu charged at him.

"What's taking so long for the energy, Kakarot!? I can't do this all day."

"I can't." The stupid strong carrot replied. "It's not happening. I'm too tired to muster that much energy for long."

Buu grabbed him by the hair and blasted him in the face. Ouch. Vegeta dug his hands into the dirt to stop his momentum from ripping into his back as he skidded away. Forcing himself to stand, the Saiyan Prince growled in frustration. "I take back what I said about you, Kakarot. You. are. an. idiot."

"What'cha say about me?" The number one in the universe responded. As the words escaped his mouth, his ki sputtered to nothing and his transformation dropped. "Oh, no."

The fat Buu soon took Vegeta's place to try and hold his counterpart back. Vegeta allowed himself a couple moments of rest, his cheek pressed against the hard earth. If only there was a way to get backup energy since every one of them fighting reached the point of exhaustion ages ago.

'Wait a second,' Vegeta dragged himself up to his knees then managed to bring his feet up from under him. "Dende! Supreme Kai! I know you are watching this fight. I need you to do a favor for me."

An explosion went off behind him, and he hovered in the air to the next rock for cover. He despised seeking cover in the first place. "You better be listening. I need you to go to Namek and make a couple wishes on the dragon balls."

Kakarot lowered to the ground until he was able to rest his feet and talk to Vegeta in a normal voice. "What are you thinking Vegeta? Shouldn't we wait until we're done to wish people back? Do you want to get Gohan and the boys here to help?"

He faced his rival, arms crossed. It didn't matter that he was one stray hit away from ceasing to exist with his dead body, or that he may be wishing his family back into danger (okay, that mattered a little), or that he would have to put his pride aside in order to ask for help. "How many times have you saved the planet, Kakarot?"

"Uh, I dunno?"

He turned away. "It's their turn to save themselves this time."

X_X

Videl's eyes snapped open. She was lying on her back on the Lookout, with everyone collecting their bearings around her. What happened? The last thing she remembered while alive was the crunch of being eaten as a chocolate bar, and then she was in heaven for a bit, faithful that Gohan outlived her. Now? That was definitely Earth's sky above her. It was close, and the air was thin, so she was on the Lookout. What happened?

The teenager sat up and took inventory of her surroundings. Her master was up and had run toward his family. That was the consensus of everyone on the Lookout. Chi Chi was leaning into her father's arms, looking around for Goten. Bulma was searching for Trunks. Yamcha laughed and hugged Roshi, Puar and Oolong close. "We're alive!"

Most people here had been wished back to life before, and they took it into stride. That was not her. She wanted answers. Where was Gohan? Piccolo? The boys? Dende? Shouldn't they wish people back to life when they were present and able to reunite with their friends? What happened with Buu?

" _People of Earth! Listen to me."_

Bulma stopped, staring up at the sky. If she was not a couple feet away, Videl would not have heard the older woman whisper "Vegeta…"

" _You were all slain by Buu, but the fight is not over yet. Right now, a warrior is fighting Majin Buu. We cannot beat him alone. I need everyone to raise their hands and offer their energy. It will tire you out. You must stand firm! You will be fine. Please, raise your hands."_

That was Vegeta, all right. Videl was left more in the dark than before. The rest of her friends were fine not questioning it. Bulma beamed and rose both her arms in the air. "Here, Vegeta!"

Yamcha chuckled as he complied. "Did he seriously just say please?"

Krillin shook his head and followed after his friend. "Are you thinking what I think you are, Vegeta? When has this worked?"

Videl trusted everyone here, and there was a plan that she was not seeing. That was fine. She had to take some things by faith. Plus, she could see the seriousness of Vegeta of all people asking for help. Palms up, she felt her ki leaving her body, leaving enough to keep her breathing. She was uninjured, but it was like she was beaten by Spopovitch again. "What's he planning?" She asked Krillin.

Her teacher smirked. "A Spirit Bomb. Both Goku and Vegeta are fighting. They're trying to pull off a miracle against Buu." Giddiness took him over and caused his voice to rise. "It, um, hasn't worked in the past though. They must be desperate to try to get people to actively give all they have instead of a passive approach."

Videl collapsed to catch her breath. "Way to be a downer," she replied. Her eyes traveled up to the ki that disappeared in the atmosphere, to wherever the fight was taking place. In the distance, she felt another group of ki being freely given, including Gohan's. Energy flowed to her legs, and she leaped up and ran to the edge of the Lookout, heart racing.

X_X

" _It's not enough. You need to give your energy now!"_

Gohan stood next to Piccolo as he listened to Vegeta continue his plea. The Namekian snorted next to him. "He's not the best at asking nicely." He chuckled at his mentor's words.

"He is rather blunt."

Trunks growled in frustration and stood up. "They're not listening to Dad? What are they, idiots?" The child's eyes were hopeful when he was first revived, hearing his father's voice again. However, that quickly was eclipsed by his annoyance at people not realizing the seriousness of the situation and not respecting Vegeta. Goten nodded in agreement next to his friend, pouting.

"Let's help him." Gohan decided. He floated off the ground and spread out his awareness to detect the ki of the nearest settlement.

"Smart, kid." Piccolo joined him, and Trunks and Goten jumped at the opportunity.

Gohan led the way to the nearest village, making sure to stay slow enough with his newfound power for the rest to keep up. Trunks whooped and flew to his side. "I'm not letting you down, Dad!"

"Yeah!" Goten cheered. Both kids called out.

"Beat him up for us, Dad!"

Amusement trickled down his limbs. With their use of fusion the last day, they were more in sync than ever. He closed his eyes. 'Don't let us down, Dad. I know you can do it.'

Piccolo, Trunks, and Goten landed in the center of the village. They met zero success. People were scared of Piccolo (memories of King Piccolo must be ingrained in the older members), and none took the two boys seriously. Trunks yelled in frustration.

"Come on, we know the people fighting Buu! We can't let them die again!" Trunks' hands shook in frustration. Gohan was amazed that both Trunks and Goten had full faith their fathers were alive. Gohan knew Goku was, and he guessed Vegeta got his life back with everyone else. The confident and solemn demands from the children touched his heart, and his hand twitched when everyone was ignored them.

"Listen to us. We all did it and we are fine." Piccolo attempted to reason to the nervous townspeople.

What was wrong with them? He understood the nerves and distrust after the whole planet was wiped out, but he echoed Trunks' sentiment with not wanting to have his father die again. They had to do this. What they needed was a-

"That's it!" No one had seen him yet, so he had a couple seconds to figure this out. He surveyed the village and found what he needed. It would have to do… In the back of his mind, he heard Videl chiding him from stealing. It was fine; he would give the stuff back. His cheeks pink, he put on the makeshift cape, bandana and slipped on the sunglasses. He crossed his fingers and prayed this worked.

"Hello, citizens!" He deepened his voice as he lowered himself from the sky to a point of visibility. It was not Mr. Satan level of fame, but word started to spread over the last several months from Satan City.

People started to whisper to themselves, and a few pointed up at him. "Is that the Great Saiyaman? What is he doing around here?"

Trunks moaned, "Gohan, why?" Goten, meanwhile, clapped his hands excitedly.

Confident he had their attention, he continued. "This is not a drill. This is an emergency. There are fighters out there wanting to protect you. You will do a great service and all of you will be heroes if you offer your assistance."

He raised his hand in the air, willing his father to take more of his. He already felt rejuvenated, and his ki had deeper reserves than most on the planet. Almost as if it was hesitant, there was a brush against his consciousness of his father's familiar ki as it sucked away a bit more, little as it was. Gohan did not drop his smile for the people below.

Reassured, one by one hands rose to the sky.

X_X

Goku felt his tension mount as the largest ball of ki he had ever seen, or handled, failed to increase to a rapid amount above him. He watched Vegeta get the shit beat out of him, again, and so far only a handful besides their friends and family had bothered. This would be all right, but when he had to see his rival and friend nearly kill himself and beg for the help, or the good Buu attempt to jump in and offer assistance, his patience was as thin as wavers.

"Come on! We need help here." He immediately received mental retorts. 'Just great, I'm getting a worse reception than Vegeta.' He thought. The stress was killing him. He attempted again. "Please, we need your help. We got plenty of energy so far, yet it isn't enough to beat Buu. We need to unite as one! Pretty please?"

X_X

Tien glanced at Chaozu. He was able to find his friend again before the planet blew up. Nonetheless, the determined warrior was unsatisfied with the help he was able to provide. A part of being a good fighter was working with everything you had, even if it was not good enough. There had to be more he could do. His friend gave a resolute nod, and the triclops smiled.

He opened his palms up to the sky. "Here Goku, this is all the efforts of my training the last seven years."

"You can do it!" Chaozu's voice was softer, as he hovered high in the sky to add his.

X_X

Miles below the Lookout lived the guardians of Korin's Tower. Upa, now a grown man, shared a look with his father. "That's Goku. Goku is fighting Majin Buu." He remembered his childhood friend, going out of his way to correct the wrongs and bring his father back to life.

It had been years, yet he never forgot that relentless and pure spirit. He kept it as a standard to try to live up to, as much as he did from his father's lessons and presence. Ones that would have been lost if Goku did not give his friend that miracle.

"Indeed." Bora smiled. Together, they raised their hands, with the rest of the villagers following.

X_X

The park ranger had not expected the Majin Buu problem to affect him. When Babadi messaged the world through the weird telepathy, Seventeen was confident they would be safe until the problem resolved itself, likely due to the group of fighters that his sister joined. Sure, he worried about her but was equally confident she could take care of herself. They were not average humans, after all.

His family did not live in a populated area, far from it, so he cast the concerns of it bothering him aside. Why would the Majin want to attack somewhere with only a small number of casualties guaranteed? That sounded counterproductive to him.

Then Buu attacked earth all at once, and he had to throw up a barrier to protect his family. He buckled under the weight of the attack but was able to withstand it. With that immediate threat out of the way, he returned to his duties without breaking a sweat. Again, his livelihood was fine. Problem neutralized.

That was until the planet blew up.

Seventeen paused, eyes cast up toward the sky. He assumed the dragon balls were at work if he was back. "Is that Son Goku?" The park ranger chuckled. "Never thought I'll hear it. Why not?" He raised his hand, and with his other he pointed his gun at a couple poachers he intercepted. He jerked his head up to the heavens and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

They mumbled in scared incoherent protests then complied.

X_X

Erasa sat on the grass outside school, comprehending the fact that she was not dead. Did she ever actually die? The last few days were such a blur she had no idea. Initially, she scoffed at the voices demanding energy from the sky. That sounded sketchy as hell. After a minute, she rolled over to face Sharpener.

"Hey, didn't Videl talk about Majin Buu on TV before he appeared?"

"Yeah, I don't know what she's gotten into." The other blonde replied. He sounded frustrated. "Hopefully, she was better off than us in- whatever happened."

Erasa placed her hands in front of her. Sweat made her hands clammy as she worried for her friend. She shook the stray thoughts out. "That's not what I mean. She said something about fighters going against Buu, and that there was nothing to worry about." Her eyes focused to the heavens, with a thoughtful frown on her face. "It didn't sound like she was purely referring to Mr. Satan. Do you think this was what she's talking about?"

"You mean we should listen to what they are saying?" Sharpener was incredulous. He sat up and gawked at her. "We don't know what's going on. This is all over our heads. Videl's not here to vouch for them."

She nodded. "Yeah, but Videl is smart, and she was right about this Majin Buu appearing. She's also reckless and would take the risk if she believed it would help whoever was fighting."

He pushed his hair back. "So, you're saying to go along with it?"

"It's worth a shot." Before she could stop herself, she thrust her arm up in the air and waited. A mental vacuum sucked up all her stamina, and her breath caught in her throat. She felt like she had run a marathon with Videl in one of those charity drives they did once. Otherwise, she couldn't detect anything else wrong with her physically. She grinned at Sharpener.

He shrugged and mimicked her actions.

Around the world, a few dozen more people made similar decisions to trust the faith of the champ's daughter, with her announcement earlier in the week, and offered their energy. However, it was not until the world champion added his own voice that the rest of the planet's inhabitants followed.

X_X

The wait was excruciating. No one said anything else after her dad made his plea to the planet, not him, Vegeta or Goku. As the minutes ticked by, they had nothing to go on besides their patience. Krillin was playing with Marron, with Eighteen at their sides. With all the crazy he gone through in his life, Videl supposed he had all the faith he needed in his friends. Yamcha was talking with Roshi and Oolong, laughing at something. They were about as calm. Bulma and Chi Chi were both staring up at the sky, as if in prayer, both concerned and hopeful.

A comfort brushed the end of her consciousness. Before she could register what it was, she was running to the edge of the Lookout as a few high power levels soared their way. Gohan touched the ground the second prior to her wrapping her arms around him and kissing him hard. The half-Saiyan hummed beneath her lips and hugged her back, lifting her off the ground.

A whoop sounded next to them, and Trunks and Goten rushed to their mothers. They were taken up in a hug, and Videl thought she heard them babbling about their dads fighting Buu. She paid them little mind. She pulled back and placed her hands on Gohan's chest, with a smile tugging at her lips. "You're alive."

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I am. But I was dead there for a minute. I think the planet exploded."

Her eyes widened. "What? Then what happened? How did everyone come back?" The questions rolled off her tongue. With the immediate threat gone, her curiosity at what happened rose.

"I'm guessing Vegeta restored the planet with the first wish. They must have used the Namekian dragon balls, if most of everyone here is back." She nodded and rested her cheek against his chest. Her eyes surveyed the group. Piccolo was speaking to Mr. Popo, both of them waiting for Dende. Marron had gravitated toward her friends, as Trunks and Goten talked about their encounter with Buu. Their mothers were ready to scold them for the easygoing tone, yet Bulma and Chi Chi were too relieved in seeing them.

There was no time to register the calm atmosphere as the presence of several new ki readings appeared at once. Everyone who could sense ki on the Lookout froze as they faced the direction of the new energy. Most were in a total surprise, although Gohan smiled warmly, not taken off guard at all. "Dad…" Videl glanced at him curiously. One, two, three, four… five? new people on the Lookout.

As the newcomers came into sight, everyone was wide-eyed in glee and shock.

"Dad!"

"Goku!"

"Vegeta!"

The two Saiyans were indeed alive and well. Trunks and Goten were the first to react. Goten launched into his father's arms, hanging off his shoulders and giggling madly. Goku held him aloft and ruffled the kid's hair. "Hey, Goten. Looks like I get to see you again soon after all."

Trunks was calmer on the outside as he stopped at Vegeta's side. The child rubbed his cheeks and tried to compose himself. The Saiyan Prince smirked and held out his hand. The boy latched on, speechless.

The rest started to gather around the two. Piccolo approached Dende, yet he smiled over at the Saiyans and the gruff Namekian rolled his eyes. "I don't know how you do it, Goku. Either of you." His friend grinned and offered a thumbs up.

Gohan took her hand, and she joined them. She guessed Vegeta would be alive through the wish with the dragon balls, but that did not explain Goku. She shook her head. She could ask later. Vegeta and Bulma appeared to be sharing a silent conversation, with Trunks holding both his parents' hands tightly. The mischievous and confident gleam resurfaced in the boy's eyes. Goku had his arm around Chi Chi, holding Goten up with his other. He smiled at his oldest, "Good job out there, son."

Her boyfriend shook his head. "I'm sorry I left it to you."

Goku shrugged. "It's fine! I can't leave you guys alone when you need help."

"You're staying around then?"

"Yep!"

Videl silently let go of Gohan's hand and left him with his family. She had her own to catch up with. She walked away from the group, knowing that her father came back with them. Opposite of what he was used to, Hercule Satan hung back, staring around the Lookout with awe and nervousness.

"Hey Daddy," she could not make her voice any louder than a whisper. He heard her anyway and hurried to hug her.

"Sweet pea! You're all right." She leaned into the embrace, deciding not to bring up the fact she died. She understood now how weird and unsettling that fact was whenever Krillin and the others brought it up.

"I am." She pulled back, eyes surveying the area. There was another ki that came in with them. It was familiar, but her brain refused to make the connection. When she spotted who it was her mind kicked into overdrive, and she was not surprised as to why.

Majin Buu stood there, in the first form she saw him in. The large pink alien seemed cheerful and was close to her father's side. She squeaked. "What?"

"Majin Buu!" The group split between those who got into the defensive and dropped back to regroup, and a couple who stepped forward, preparing for an offensive. Her father and Goku quickly jumped to his defense, as Buu bowed and formally apologized. Vegeta appeared pissed, for whatever truce they had decided was not accepted by the Saiyan Prince yet as he stood protectively by his family.

This was a whole level of weird for her. When they were done explaining, her father laughed uneasily. "We're getting a new housemate, Videl."

Perfect.

X_X

Out of the three Saiyan blackholes eating at the table, Gohan kept to eating his meal at a relatively normal rate. Both his brother and father were stuffing their faces. Chi Chi, while having an exasperated expression and likely calculating increased food costs, smiled fondly at her family. It felt so complete- and so bizarre. He poured more sauce on his rice, staring at his father from the corner of his eye.

"This is great, Chi! I missed your cooking so much." Goku paused long enough to compliment his wife's cooking and dived back in.

"Thank you, dear." Chi Chi picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. "But you are setting bad table manners for your boys."

"Mphf?"

Gohan shook his head. Goku fit in with the dynamic at the dinner table effortlessly, like he had never been dead for the last seven years. However, that made him remember the absence stronger. Any second, he expected his father to disappear and this to be a weird happy dream brought on by the past.

Goten practically shook with energy, as he kicked his legs in front of him repeatedly. Gohan could tell because sitting across from him, his brother's foot kept skimming up against his knee. He should tell him to stop before he ended up with a bruise at the end of the night, but the young child was brimming with happiness that Gohan had no desire to dampen.

"What's on your mind, Gohan?" Goku placed his fifth bowl off to the side with the rest. For as naïve as Goku was sometimes, Gohan had to remember that as a trained fighter he was actually decent at reading people. One person who was better at it was Chi Chi, and Gohan was reminded why it was difficult to hide stuff from his parents.

"It's nothing." He continued on with his meal. His father hummed and must have decided to ask later, finishing his last plate.

It was not quite as soon a later as he expected. Gohan worked on his catchup homework, about a third of the way done to what he set himself for the night, and Goku had not come in to see him. This was fine. He had no idea what he would say to his father and appreciated the time to think. Besides, he could hear Goten playing with him outside, and sensed Goku and Chi Chi leaving to where he took Videl a couple times for the sunset (it was an idea he got off his mother).

Gohan was no better in a right mind to talk when he did hear the knock on his door. What could he say? He already apologized and they talked about the Cell Games already, but that always would be something he worried about. How about how he fought Buu, or what it was like growing up without his father in some of the most emotional years in his life? Anxieties that barreled through his brain, ones which he did not even know existed while his father was dead. That in itself made him feel guilty.

"Hey, son. Can I come in?"

"Go ahead." He couldn't hold it off forever. He yearned with all his heart to have everything reach a new standard of normal. That having Goku back would stop feeling like a weird miracle he could not comprehend.

He chuckled as his father came in prepared, carrying a chair from the dining room in one hand. The Saiyan sat down and rested his crossed arms on the back, eyes wide and curious. It was a look Goten gave him, and Gohan marveled the man's calm and childlike excitement. There were plenty of reasons the awkward teenager found it a blessing and curse to be in his father's shadow.

With that one expression, Gohan told himself he would make sure this conversation went well. Damn it, he had his father back. The sprinkle of hot emotions on his heart made his eyes sting.

"So, what's up?" Goku asked again.

"A lot to think about." He closed his book and focused fully on his dad. "I'm glad your back." He had to say that.

"Me too." The older man smiled. "What're you doing?"

"I'm finishing work for school. I fell behind while I trained for the tournament." He scribbled one more answer down. "And it helps clear my mind."

His father tilted his head to the side, thoughtful. "Chi will probably disagree with me, but you think too much."

Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Maybe."

"I mean, I find the most honest emotions come first thing and then you can get lost in your head trying to sort through it." Goku glanced upward, head still resting on his arms. "Like when I first decided to help you and get my life back. There were a lot of factors that I should have thought through more, but all I knew was that I wanted to help."

It was true that, on several things, his parents' advice will directly contradict each other. Nonetheless, the honesty from his father was welcome. "Thanks. I'll try to remember that." His voice came out stilted, and he was doing a fantastic job on not being awkward. Great going, Gohan.

There were a couple beats of silence. Goku took the moment to think, and when Gohan imagined they were both lost here, his father spoke up again. "Let's go fishing sometime soon, k?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"It can be the both of us, and I'll think that Goten would want to tag along as well."

"I've taken him a few times, at our old fishing spot." Gohan picked up his books and started to sort them on the shelves. Goku was awkward for a moment, his eyes following his son as he wrapped up his work.

"I should have taken you two."

Gohan smiled softly and returned to his seat, dropping his papers to one of the desk drawers. All the times missing his dad, being angry at his helplessness to change what happened and that Goku had chosen not to come back. Struggling with the loss when half his life was composed of that theme, until he came to terms with everything. It was hard to blame anyone but himself. "It's all right. The good thing is that we can now."

"I don't regret the decision to stay dead. But you know that feeling when you're being punched from behind and only know at the last second? It's like that. You feel silly for missing it when it's too late and for it being obvious."

Gohan thought about stalling on killing Cell, or falling in love, or being thrown off losing everyone to Buu. Yes, he understood the feeling. The pit in his stomach curled and then loosened at all those memories. Words failed to convey this, but Goku must have read his face because he flashed a grin.

"Yeah, like that!" He mellowed out. "So, there are things that I missed that I want to be able to see coming before they hit me again."

"I'm looking forward to it." Gohan had to say it eventually. He reasoned he did not have to say it again, but it encroached on his thoughts relentlessly. "Dad, I'm sorry."

Goku blinked, with his confusion clear. "What for?"

"For not keeping up with my training and your legacy. You made your decision after Cell with faith that I'll take care of anything that comes up. If I have, maybe I would've been able to manage Buu."

His father shrugged. "It wasn't what I would have done." Gohan smiled sheepishly. "But it's your life. I know Chi Chi is proud of how you managed as well."

Gohan wondered if his father rehearsed what he was going to say before coming in, or else if Chi Chi drilled him about it because it was all the things he hoped to hear. However, that was not really his style. Goku kept everything honest and simple.

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem! And I can help you if you want to start training again. I'm sure Piccolo will be happy to join us. It'll be like the old days."

"The boys and Vegeta would want in too." Gohan's lips quirked upward. "We'll have to find a big enough area to if it's going to be so many of us."

Goku's eyes lit up. "Yeah. I'll have to have a one-on-one with Vegeta first now that we have the time." And that the Saiyan Prince, as far as Gohan could tell, no longer wished to actively kill his father. Goku was too casual and upbeat to mention that though.

"How did your last fight end anyway?" He asked out of morbid curiosity. He spent too much of his life in peril, and Videl's attitude for the truth must have rubbed off on him on top of that.

Goku rubbed the back of his head. "He kind of knocked me out from behind." A bemused sigh parted Gohan's lips. Yep, that sounded like his dad.

They chatted and caught up. Goku, who lived either with Grandpa Gohan or on his own as a child, and had a childhood of crazy adventures and martial arts training, was amazed and baffled with Gohan's teenage life at school. He was embarrassed when talking about how he got with Videl, but it was better if he explained it compared to anyone else.

"You guys found the dragon balls? I did think everyone got them fast after what happened." He nodded in response. Goku grinned. "No trouble?"

"None."

"Really? That's good."

Gohan thought back on all the times he had to find them. With the hell that was his first time… "It definitely wasn't Namek, that's for sure. Even if it was the same amount of time."

Goku stood up and picked up the chair again. "Chi Chi's probably waiting up for me. Night son."

"Night, Dad."

His father paused next to the door. "Do you know what happened with Buu? You weren't absorbed like the others."

He did a double take and then ducked his head. "I'm not really sure what it was." Gohan leaned back in his seat, averting his eyes away from his father. "I was in such a meditative state for so long with receiving my powerup that I was able to keep my head calm. When Buu tried to absorb me, I kept the same level of ki output. I was able to keep my mind, somewhat."

Gohan glanced up to see Goku keeping apt attention. After that, it was harder to remember what happened. He did not remember it so much as have an awareness that he was able to fight back. "Then I kept in that state-of-mind and had an opening to make it a two-way street when he tapped into my memories. I was able to get him to freeze up – I think – with it and allow memories to go through to throw him off." He shrugged and drilled his gaze into the floor. "Not sure how well I did." He had a singular focus to stop Buu and protect those close to him, which was the only clear thought going through his mind. All others connected back to that.

He looked up when Goku ruffled his hair. "I don't know what you're so worked up about not holding your own." His father smiled down at him. "I'm proud of you, son."

X_X

Trunks shoved a cookie in his mouth, staring out of the window. The whole mess with Buu ended a couple days ago, and life was almost back to normal. He had not talked much with his best friend, with Goten being busy catching up with his dad. The eight-year-old wished he could spend time with him, but he understood the other boy's need to be around his father. Trunks had almost lost his own.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Despite wanting to break the rules and stay up later than he should out of habit, Trunks concluded he really had nothing better to do than sleep. He wiped his face with a napkin then tossed it to the nearest trash bin once the crumbs were cleared. He got up from the chair and started to head to the bedrooms. It took a couple seconds for him to realize that he was walking in the direction of his parents' room. Huh. Well, there was no harm seeing them before he went to sleep. He placed a hand on his chest and quickened his pace.

His knuckles rapped on their door as he debated about why he was doing this. The reassurance will be nice, he supposed. Rustling came from the other side, and a second later Bulma answered the door. "Hey, Trunks." She already had her nightgown on and was drying her hair. He smiled and hugged her.

"Can I see Dad?" He asked once he pulled away a minute later. She ruffled his hair and walked passed him.

"After you, I need to ask Mom about something anyway." She disappeared down the hall.

Trunks stayed in the doorway for a second, unable to move. The moment ended with Vegeta's curt, "Trunks." The boy snapped out of his revere and stepped forward. The Saiyan Prince sat at the edge of the bed, in the same casual slacks that he wore to dinner. "What do you want?" His voice was calmer, but Trunks shuffled his feet, unsure of why he came in either.

So instead, the child simply went over and sat next to him. Vegeta did not move, watching his son curiously and wearily. Trunks took it as an okay sign and leaned against his father's short and sturdy form. Vegeta's ki rose, and the young boy found comfort in it. He missed it. So much.

Luckily for him, no tears fell. Silence covered the room until Trunks muttered softly. "I'm sorry."

"What?" The Saiyan was stunned by the statement. They were never a family that made much use of apologies.

Trunks stared down at his hands. The words would not come up again. He went on. "I wasn't able to stop Buu or save Mom," he picked at the hem of his shirt. He thought he got rid of the habit a couple years ago. "or help Gohan or anyone fight." He swallowed, trying to get the words to come back. No, even if he felt like he failed, he could not say sorry again. His eyes burned.

Vegeta sighed, low and heavy. Trunks flinched at the reaction and attempted to draw away. His father's arm wrapped around his shoulders, trapping him. "It's okay." His voice dampened with emotions, he placed a hand on Trunks' head. "And I am proud of you." Trunks smiled and closed his eyes, eventually falling sleep.

X_X

Two weeks went by since the Buu crisis passed. Videl was getting accustomed to having Majin Buu around the house- slowly, very slowly. He was kind, spending most of the time with her father as they played video games or watched old action movies. Videl imagined this was what her father would have been like if he had a roommate during college. It was odd, yet Mr. Satan was happy and Buu was calm to not destroy the house (on purpose, in any case.)

She left the two alone for the evening. She was in the Capsule Corp inside gardens, where she had first met several of the fighters that were present. She was next to Krillin as he watched his wife, a laugh escaping him with a cross of amusement and anxiety. Eighteen paced on the grass, muttering on the phone. Whatever it was, she was upset enough to not notice she left deep scuff marks in her wake.

"She's calling her brother. Apparently, he can't take the day off. She's been trying to get him to come over all week."

Eighteen gave up on her conversation and muttered into the phone, "You're such an idiot!" before she hung up. She stormed off to where Trunks was helping Marron climb a tree.

"I guess the world ending will make people want to ensure their friends and family are all right, especially after not being in contact for so long." Videl replied. Erasa had told her how her aunt had showed up at her parents' place out of the blue, close to tears with a large pie in tow.

A loud cheer came from the direction of the kids. Trunks jumped out of the tree and flew over to Goten as the Son family arrived. Marron jumped down to her mother's arms and then hurried after him. Videl waved to her boyfriend. Bulma stopped next to Chi Chi, her curious eyes scanning the area behind them.

"Where's Goku?"

"He's going to be late," Chi Chi growled, crossing her arms. The heiress rolled her eyes.

"I'll go ahead and tell Vegeta that he could eat all the food if he can't bother to show up on time."

The Saiyan Prince laughed in triumph. He was already eating a beef sandwich, leaning against the tree and watching the kids run across the grass.

Videl strolled over to Gohan and punched him lightly in the arm. "Hey, nerd. You look good."

"Hey Videl. How are you holding up?" He kept asking her that since it was odd to have such a previously volatile being in her home. She grinned and clung to his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's going good. Can you believe Buu is really good at Mario Kart?"

His response was interrupted as a call from across the room rang out. Tien arrived with Chaozu, and Yamcha – who was hanging around the buffet before Vegeta could eat it all – and Krillin ran over to greet their friend. Videl had not seen the former world champion since she had trained with him. She raised her hand in greeting then glanced out Gohan. "Well?"

He chuckled. "He better not get in a match with Goten and Trunks then. They both can be sore losers." She pulled him in the direction of the food, which was pointless as Gohan gravitated in that direction anyway. Vegeta intercepted them, growling threateningly.

"Back off, Kakabrat." Gohan grinned in response.

"Not happening."

As they passed Krillin and the others, Videl held back a couple feet, content to let the challenging, hungry Saiyans to their devices. She'll grab a snack under their noses no problem.

"I can't believe you tried your luck against Buu! That's crazy." Krillin spoke to Tien.

"You did too, buddy." Yamcha clapped a hand on his friend's back.

"Yeah, but I was turned into chocolate…"

Videl sighed. If she did not know them as well, she thought they assimilated to the life-ending events and accepted them already. As it was, they were tense but was still way too relaxed discussing it than she could believe.

Shaking her head, she continued on the food-collecting venture. She snuck a salad and some pork under the Saiyans' eyes. Vegeta smirked yet made no move to stop her. He addressed Gohan. "Kakarot better be here soon. He said he wanted to try the new gravity room. I may change my mind of allowing him in, but I _will_ punch him in the face."

Videl chewed her food and studied the room around her. It was amazing how fast everything reverted back to normal, with a few noticeable changes. She tugged on Gohan's sleeve. "How's it like with your dad back?"

"It's great. Mom is in the process of putting him to work. It's a hard one though, as she has some leeway to give being happy he is around again."

They spent the next few minutes catching up over the last couple days. Gohan had caught up on his school work, and he spent the majority of the last afternoon training with his father.

"Hey, Videl!" Eighteen walked over. The blonde had one hand on her hip, and she narrowed her eyes. She had calmed down and now had her focus elsewhere, although a challenge remained in her eyes. "Your dad owes me zeni."

"Huh?"

"He still owes me zeni. Don't let him forget." She clarified.

Videl was confused. Nodding in agreement, nonetheless, she affirmed. "No problem. I'll let him know."

The party continued. Videl was dozing, using her boyfriend's shoulder as a pillow, when Goku arrived. As soon as he did, Vegeta grabbed his arm and led him off to train.

"But food!" The younger Saiyan complained.

"I already ate it all, Kakarot!"

Videl felt Gohan chuckle next to her, the rise and fall of his chest the most comfortable sensation she could remember. The light pound of footsteps ran passed as the boys chased after their fathers to watch.

Today was a good day.

X_X

Videl watched her reflection, spinning around in her new outfit. "It's great, thank you!" The cape flapped half-heartedly, and the girl grinned widely. 'I'm such a nerd. Damn it, Gohan.'

Bulma chuckled, arms crossed, assessing her handiwork with satisfaction. "Thank you. You mentioned you may like it, and Gohan thought it'll be a good idea. How could I say no to a couple of lovebirds?"

The teenager blushed under her helmet. Her version of the Saiyaman suit was in light pastel colors and a matching design, with a few feminine touches, curtesy of the genius at Capsule Corp. Trunks hung back from the two females, with his young face stricken with betrayal. "I trusted you, Auntie."

She sent a playful glare at him. "Don't be like that." She straightened her posture and addressed Bulma. "Don't listen to him. It does look fantastic." Videl puffed out her chest. Yep, she was turning into Gohan and her father. Giggling, she tugged on the cape.

"I'm not. It's not my fault my kid has no sense in fashion."

Trunks hmphed and stalked off. "Later. I'm going off to train with Dad."

"He's out with Goku and Goten outside the city. You'll have to join them there." Bulma called after him. "And let them know not to be so close this time, else they freak everyone out again with earthquakes."

"Got it!"

After the child cleared out, the older woman faced Videl. "So, how do feel about this? This isn't what I imagined with partnership on the next step of your guys' relationship."

Videl created a ki ball in her hand. Light bounced off the walls and reflected off her face. "It feels right. I want to continue helping people in Satan City. And I never gave the nerd boy enough credit for the Saiyaman half of him. It'll be fun to try it out."

Bulma placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll do good work out there."

With a cheeky twitch of her lips, Videl spun around once more. "The greatest."

X_X

Six months passed, and for how much his life uprooted, for the umpteenth time, Gohan found that it landed heavily back on track before smoothing out. It was an odd sensation, and one he could never be sure he would get used to. What happened with Buu was Videl's first world-altering event, and he could tell how difficult it was for his girlfriend to adjust. Those were events where anyone would have to take a step back and reevaluate their lives, and that was the case for stubborn young woman. That stubbornness led to having a hard time to get her to open up.

There were quiet moments that permitted a period of reflection. They would be walking down the street to get something to eat, and she would take his hand, seeking comfort, an uneasy smile on her face. Smiling back would typically do the trick, and later while he was on his third shake and she was on her first, she admitted to some nightmares she had.

The smooth ride they were on now granted time to study and approach things with caution, instead of being thrown into a disaster. He preferred it. Videl bounced back well, being back to her independent fire within a couple months.

With all the changes, the recovery period was peculiar for her to have Majin Buu living constantly in her house. That was what he assumed, seeing at first trepidation on her face and then eventually to befuddlement and amusement. Enough time had flown by, that they could use the dragon balls to clear the memories of who Majin Buu was from the world. Videl had called it too simple, but otherwise made no complaint. There was enough stress with an alien living in her house, one unable to go outside and explore, that she kept her mouth shut.

This was not his problem as they summoned Shenron; this time at the isolation of Kame House. Gohan had another consideration dancing around in his brain. Months ago, before Buu, when he and Videl first found the dragon balls, he promised that if anything else came up where they had to use them (he really should have not jinxed it), then the next time he would ensure that she got a wish. He told Krillin and his dad about it, and they both agreed it was a good idea.

He stood beside her, arms wrapped around her shoulders, chuckling as she gaped at Shenron. It was her second time, but the magical dragon was consistently intimidating and breathtaking. Mr. Satan had a bigger reaction. He was sputtering nonstop and appeared closed to fainting. Gohan pitied him, smiling.

"Go on, it's your wish." Goku pounded Hercule on the back, and the man faceplanted into the sand. "Oops."

"Are you sure this will work?" The current world champ asked hesitantly. "I…" He was speechless.

"Yup, you saw how the planet and the people came back, right?" Goku reached a hand out to help the other man up. "If you want I can do it."

"No, it's fine." He beheld Shenron with beads of sweat down his forehead. "I- I wish… that the people's memories of who Majin Buu is and what he looks like to be cleared, so my friend can go out if he wants."

Shenron's eyes glowed. "Your wish has been granted."

Gohan drew Videl closer and whispered in her ear. "The next one is yours."

"What?" Her voice was hushed.

"Next one." He rested his chin on her head.

She could not think of anything before, and she could not think of anything now. Her eyes traveled over to where her father stood talking to Goku and Krillin. A thought prodded the corners of her mind. As a child, she wrecked her mother's music box a couple years after she died.

" _What's that?"_

" _Don't sneak up on me, Buu. It's something I got from my mother to play music, yet it doesn't work anymore."_

" _Why not?"_

" _I kinda wrecked it."_

The Majin tried to repair it when she showed it to him a month ago. However, while he had healing powers, that did not go to fine-tuned instruments. She snatched it away before he could cause more damage. No one could fix it.

She leaned into Gohan's embrace. "I might have something."

X_X

Kibito Kai studied planet earth and the other worlds of the universe. After the rush of Buu, every day goods and evils were a steady, constant after thought. It was a nice break.

"You know what could happen…" Elder Kai bemoaned with a tinge of amusement.

"Don't you dare!" The younger Kai took the bait easily. "He won't wake up. It hasn't even been forty Earth years."

Elder Kai chuckled and pulled up his crystal ball. "Uh huh, don't you youngin' get too comfortable. It is bound to happen eventually."

X_X

Without her great detective skills, Videl could tell that Krillin was nervous. He sweated bullets behind her, even though she beckoned him to take the lead by now. "I don't see what you are worried about."

"I- um, I'm not worried about it." He granted himself some level of professionalism. His back straightened. "You don't have to do this."

She winked at him and brushed her hair back. While she started to grow it out again, she probably won't let it go to her original length. That was too hard to manage, and it got in the way with her Saiyaman helmet. "You've helped me so much; it's about time I return the favor."

His cheeks pink, he replied. "Thanks."

"You already got into the Academy, right? I'm just giving you a recommendation for when you can get a job." Videl pushed her master in front of her, laughing silently to herself. "I know most of the guys here. You'll fit in fine." She knocked on the wooden door when it became clear Krillin was overcome with nerves.

"You're right."

"Of' course I am." She heard the chief get up and approach the door on the other side. Videl rolled her eyes. "How many life-ending events have you been a part of?"

"Please don't bring that up." He groaned before the door opened.

"Good afternoon, Videl. What brings you over?" The chief of police beckoned the two of them inside, closing the door again after them. The click of the door seemed to jar something in her short companion, as he gritted his teeth and grinned nervously.

She placed her hands on Krillin's shoulders and pushed him forward. "This is Krillin. He's a new cadet at the Academy. I'm here to say keep your eye on him."

"That so?" He did not sound impressed. Videl imagined that the martial artist, with his short stature and anxious demeanor, gave little positive potential. She nodded.

"He's taught me a lot, and he was a finalist in last year's tournament before everything went to hell." She glanced down at him and squeezed her mentor's shoulder. "He's definitely honorable as well. I've seen him personally place his life before others." She remembered seeing Krillin make the split-second decision to face Buu. Her back stiffened at the memory and so did her resolve to help him.

Determination set on Krillin's face as he met the police chief's stare. The other man nodded, seeking affirmation. "You think you are ready for the police force, son?"

Krillin scratched his neck. "It won't be the craziest thing I've done."

"Very well, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to see you on in the future."

Krillin gave a stiff nod and bowed. "Thank you, sir."

Videl swiped a biscuit from the desk and broke it in half to share with her master. After swallowing a bite, she went on. "If you need another recommendation, Great Saiyaman will love to give one. Could probably share better stories."

"Videl…" Krillin curled his shoulders in embarrassment.

She patted his back as they left the office. "Take that as revenge for teasing us for so long."

"I have to flip your old assessment of me. You will be the one to make a great super villain." Laughter rose in her chest and her shoulders shook. She finished off the biscuit and brushed the crumbs off her hands.

"I try my best."

"Why couldn't you do this in a normal letter or when I actually applied for the job?" Krillin sighed. "What kind of circumstance would it make sense for a student to have better standing in order to recommend her teacher?" He rubbed a hand through his hair, thoroughly exasperated. He debated if he should shave again. Having hair was weird, and he had been out of retirement for a while.

Videl left the questions unanswered. Instead she took off running down the street. "Race you to doughnuts!"

X_X

The kitchen was quiet with the lack of Saiyans present. Goku and Gohan were outside, and while Videl had no idea what they were doing, she could guess it wasn't training since they kept their powers low. They soon disappeared from her max range of picking up ki. If she had to guess, she would say visiting Piccolo and the others at the Lookout. Goten wanted to go out with them, but Chi Chi made him finish his schoolwork. Videl picked up the scribble of a pen when she passed by his room.

Chi Chi took the freedom to work on dinner. Two roasts were in the oven, and a third was already done and resting on the counter. Three pots were on the stove, with an array of rice and stew inside. Videl's mouth started to water, and she avoided Chi Chi's eyes when they were on her.

"Go ahead. Just don't tell the boys I let you have any."

"Really?"

The experienced mother nodded as she chopped a row of vegetables. "Yes. How do you think I eat enough food with those three here? It's all right as long as it's only a little bit." She stepped up to the stove and grabbed a ladle for the stew. Checking its contents, she nodded. "This is done."

Videl grabbed a bowl and poured half the ladle in. "Thank you," She blew on a spoonful as she sat down. The flavor burst in her mouth, and she reminded herself to visit Gohan for his mother's cooking more. Not that she didn't visit at least four days a week already. "This is fantastic."

Chi Chi nodded primly. "I can give you all my recipes if you want. It'll be good for once you have kids of your own."

"What?" Videl squeaked.

Chi Chi hummed and checked to see how the roasts were doing. "You two graduated a while ago. Gohan is set in his new job, and Bulma says your application to help in Capsule Corps security department will go through any day now." She faced the younger woman with her arms crossed. "You two should get married. And I want grandbabies."

Her face steadily grew to match the tomatoes laid out on the side. Videl ate the rest of her soup slower and did not dignify the comment with a response. She and Gohan had talked about marriage once a month ago, but that was more or less a wistful conversation in passing. Erasa had brought it up, and Bulma, and Krillin. Even Vegeta laughed at her when he heard Bulma talk about it. She had not visited the couple for two weeks after that, not the least because Trunks would continuously tease her if he heard.

Yes, she wanted it. But everyone else could mind their own damn business.

Distracted, she did not finish the stew by the time Goten ran into the kitchen. The child's face was stricken with betrayal.

"Why does big sis get to eat before us?"

She hit her head on the table. He had not heard their conversation, at least.

X_X

The land was carved out from constant abuse and sparring matches that frequented it over the years. Gohan remembered coming here with Piccolo, his father, Goten and Trunks, and sometimes Vegeta. Rubble littered the ground, and a few steps caused puffs of dust to rise. A few rocks jutted out, either as smooth or jagged surfaces. Trees dotted the landscape, yet they were far away from the epicenter of the mangled clearing.

It was more of a disaster zone than a place for a date. Nonetheless, Gohan brought Videl here in the past. The boys would join them on occasion, invited or not. For this trip, he made sure his little brother and friend were preoccupied. In this case, Bulma lost a bet and had to treat the Saiyans to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and thus adding another place they were banned from on the list.

Gohan declined the invitation but asked Goten to sneak out some dessert for him. He promised Videl that they'll go out tonight. Besides, he had his own plans.

Videl giggled as she stepped on the dusty ground. A large rectangle rock was their destination, with a relatively smooth and clean surface. She still teased him. "Are you sure this is a good spot for a picnic?" He coughed and set the blanket down as she pointedly tapped her shoes to dispel some of the dust.

"We've eaten here before."

"Mhm. We've had snacks here before, not a full meal."

Gohan shrugged and tossed the capsule to the ground. Two large picnic baskets materialized. He opened one and pulled out a sandwich. "This _is_ a snack for me."

She scoffed and dug around for her own food. "Why aren't you with your dad and the others then?"

He chewed his food slowly before he answered. "Because Mom's cooking is the best. Also, I have better self-control and rather not be banned from eating somewhere with the rest of them." He found the carton of juice and poured a couple cups. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She chugged half of it down and leaned back. The sun was high in the sky, yet it had started its dip across back down the horizon. She raised her hand and shielded her eyes as she looked out toward it. "How did Bulma lose her bet with Vegeta anyway?"

He finished off the first sandwich and grabbed another. "Didn't ask."

Rolling her eyes, she slapped his arm lightly. "You aren't the least bit curious?"

"With them? Not really. I'd rather be spared the details."

She groaned and fell back, keeping her glass upright in her hand. "Fair enough. I hope Trunks remembers my promise and is recording the restaurant's employees' reactions to the place being ruined."

Gohan took a couple seconds to let the words sink in. "I think you're spending too much time with the boys."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "My father is a world-class idiot sometimes; I like people making fools of themselves. Its not like I'm using it for blackmail."

He shook his head in mock despair. "You've been corrupted." She threw a rock at him; he dodged it easily.

They ate their meal at a slow pace. Videl found it amusing to throw grapes at him. He caught them no problem, without crushing them in his fists. She was impressed. It almost became a food fight when he tossed one back, and she was unable to catch it.

"Again!" She glared at the grape. "I can do it this time."

He returned to his food without complying. She tossed another at him; it bounced off his face and he caught it before it could hit the ground. "I rather not waste the food."

She huffed good-naturedly. "Fine. I would be able to catch it though."

Videl was packing the rest of her portion away when she noticed Gohan hesitating about something. The sun was almost to the horizon, and she had to squint at him. "What's up?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, one hand behind his back. "Um, I've been thinking about the best way to do this. I might as well make the leap." He breathed heavily, a goofy grin on his face.

"Videl, will you marry me?"

* * *

 **A/N** : The end! This wraps up my Chances AU. I debated before posting this story if I should keep to this and skip Buu altogether. Much of this chapter I've worked on and off for the last couple weeks when the rest of the story became heavy. Although there weren't any earth-shattering changes, I decided to keep the Buu Saga in because there were changes I wanted to play with. With the rest of the story now finished, it was fun to go back to fluff. A very long chapter of fluff, sheesh. I keep on surprising myself with these chapter lengths.

The reason for the length is simple. I wanted to fit everything in this chapter. I won't do anything else for this AU. Elder Kai mentioning Beerus was just him being a troll, and Videl helping Krillin become a cop was always the last note I planned to express on their student-teacher relationship. The latter would have become a one-shot in Moments if I never got around to finishing this story. They are notes that lead up to Super, but that's it. Videl and Gohan step back and cherish their family life, and I have no more story to add that will be unique compared to any future canon, with Super or GT.

I am ecstatic how a few of these scenes turned out, and others I could work on making better and go in circles forever. Ah well, so is any writer's folly.

Not sure how people will think on Videl using her wish to repair her mother's music box. As a personal note, it is awful knowing you accidently wrecked a piece of family history, especially from a family member that has passed. If I could make a wish on a magic dragon to fix what inspired that tidbit, I would have found the dragon balls and done it ages ago. Otherwise, nothing to note on any of the fluff. Wish I could have included more with the kids, yet nothing specific for them came to mind.

I plan to work on final edits in the future for this and Chances (nothing major, typos and silly errors like that). That'll be it though. I'm all wrapped up!

 **EDIT** : Edits are done to a point where I'm happy with everything.

Thank you everyone who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed this story. _Last Chance_ was nowhere near as ambitious as _Chances_ , and I will judge it to my older work because I'm supposed to get better. Finishing this has set my mind to ease, and the final product I love for tying all the knots required. These three stories – _Chances_ , _Moments_ and _Last Chance_ – encompassed most of my writing for the last year and has helped me tremendously. For anyone that has joined me in the journey, thank you.

You are all wonderful.

Peace :)

X

 **ValdieWhittaker123** : Thank you! I do enjoy writing fluff. I feel content knowing I completed this, but a part of me will miss it.


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